Aftermath
by SugarBug17
Summary: Hermione discovers Ron's infidelities a week before their wedding, embarrassed by the fact she was the last to know, she runs away to a different country where she is reunited with someone from her past. AU / Rated M! Now FINISHED!
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything in the Harry Potter Universe. I have just used our beloved characters (owned by J.K. Rowling) and had a bit of fun with them!**

**A/N: I know that I am not the best writer out there which is why I've been looking for a Beta Reader. I've contacted a few Beta Readers and I've not heard back from them... So I thought maybe this would be a way to get one if I published a story. So if you are a beta or know a good one please PM me. **

**This story is entitled 'Aftermath' after Adam Lambert's song of the same name.**

**If you enjoy the story please leave a review! I want to know what you all think. Who knows you might help me with the remaining chapters! **

**Happy Reading!**

**Aftermath: Chapter 1 **

It was never like Hermione Granger to run away from anything. She was a Gryffindor nevertheless, she had courage and bravery. She always stood up for what she believed in and she never let any person control her life or tell her how to live it. She thought that it was her destiny to get married to Ronald Weasley. She knew him for over half of her life; they started out as friends and grew to be lovers.

She always knew that deep down she was going to marry Ron, get a job at the Ministry of Magic, settle down, have children and live out a fairy tale. Ron was her safety net; he was the path that everyone expected her to take. Her parents loved him as family, and his family loved her. It did not come as a surprise to her that he proposed on the eve of their graduation from Hogwarts. The yes jumped out of her mouth.

Ron of course wanted to get married that summer before he went off for Auror training, Hermione on the other hand always envisioned a long engagement. She had gotten accepted into one of the most prestigious Wizarding Colleges and she did not want to tote along a husband. After weeks of talking it over they mutually decided that they would wait until Ron finished his Auror training and she finished two years of college. After all, she was Hermione Granger she could finish a regular four year degree in two. And that is exactly what she did.

The two years after Hogwarts seemed too short for Hermione. She went away to the college while Ron globe-trotted. She kept to books and homework, whereas Ron got to travel the field and get down and dirty with his training. They corresponded in many ways, owls, muggle phones, and even the occasional trips to see each other. When they were together they had fun, and each second he reminded her why she fell in love with him. They were carefree, and wild; staying up all night; going to clubs and partying. Ron was humorous; making her laugh in situations that were not funny. But the feelings of love and admiration only lasted during their time together.

In the time they spent apart she never found herself missing Ron. She was always too busy to miss him. At times she did long for him, but those times were far and few between. She longed for those quiet moments spent together the summer after they graduated, but that feeling never lasted long because she had a knack of finding things that kept her mind focused on other things and busy. Of course, it was nice to see him when they got a chance to spend some time with each other, and there was always a part of her that never wanted to leave his side when they would wake up in the morning together. That changed as soon as they departed from each other. She did love Ron, but each day it seemed to her that she was not in love with him.

As the days of their education drew closer to a close she began to dread the impending date of their nuptials. She went through all of the motions with her mum and Mrs. Weasley. She made a guest list, picked the bridesmaids, debated over decorations, and tasted all of the food; she even found the perfect wedding gown to wear. The date was set, the food picked, the wedding planned along with the dinner afterward. As the days passed and her wedding grew close, everyone's excitement grew, while hers diminished.

Her mum told her it was cold feet, every bride got that way as their wedding day approached. Hermione knew that her feet we not at all cold, she just did not want to become Mrs. Hermione Weasley. But how could she tell this to Ron? To Mrs. Weasley? Or to any Weasley for that matter? Or to Harry, who wanted Hermione to join the Weasley family just as he did when he married Ginny? The truth was she couldn't. She feared that even if she confessed her fears to everyone they would find some way to convince her to marry Ron; saying that it would all get better with time.

Time… that was the answer everyone had to everything. It will all get better in time. She did not want time to fall back in love with Ron. She wanted time to travel, explore the world that surrounded her. Go to the places that she read about. And she did not want to spend that time with Ron tagging along. She was in school all of her life, surrounded by books, homework and deadlines. Ron had his time to be independent now she wanted hers. The place she was at in her life right now could not fit Ron into it.

She paced the floor of her little flat awaiting the arrival of Ron. They were supposed to be having a romantic dinner just the two of them to celebrate the next stage of the life they were about to partake upon. Little did Ron know she was about to break his heart. There was a week to the wedding and her time was running out. She was not yellow-bellied; she was not going to just disappear on the eve of the wedding. She was going to explain to Ron how she felt. Tell him that her life was leading her on a different path then what he wanted or expected.

She only hoped that he could understand where she was coming from. Maybe part of him would feel the same way and they could just conclude that they would be better as friends. She remained optimistic that this would happen, rather than a huge fight. With a glance at the clock she noted that Ron should be arriving any second. She took a deep breath willing her nerves to calm themselves before he arrived. After a few seconds she felt a bit better.

The door buzzed and after a quick one over in her hallway mirror she went and opened the door. Ron stood on the other end wearing a tee-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. It made her feel overdressed. He crossed the threshold and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Hello, 'Mione you look nice tonight." He said giving her a bouquet of flowers.

"Evening, Ron. How are you?" She asked as she led him through her small flat and into her sitting room.

"I am good." He responded, taking a seat. It felt oddly formal to her. Like each of them had something on their minds.

"Dinner is not ready yet. Can I get you something to drink?" She offered trying to break some of the tension.

"No thank you, 'Mione."

Hermione knew that if she did not sit she was going to begin pacing again; she took the chair opposite of Ron. "Is everything alright, Ron? You seem a bit edgy tonight." She asked wondering if he knew what she was going to tell him shortly.

Ron sat there for a moment gazing into the fire that lit the room. He said nothing, but he seemed deep in thought. The both remained quiet, the silence was suffocating. She felt uncomfortable, "uhhh... Ron is everything okay?" She asked him again. This time his head turned to her-his face looked guilty. It looked like he just got caught being out of bed after hours at Hogwarts.

"Hermione." He said reaching for her hand. "We need to talk. I have something that I want to tell you. It is something that you should know before we get married next week."

She sat there confused and baffled what was he talking about. "Ron, whatever it is you know that you can tell me."

"You are going to hate me. I just know it. It never should have happened. It was stupid. I should never have done it but..." He stopped it seemed that he could not get out the words that he wanted to say. Hermione sat there and waited. Knowing Ron he was making a big deal out of something small and pointless. "Hermione I cheated on you." He said in a whisper that was barely audible. She was not sure that she heard him right.

"I am sorry, Ron, but what did you just say?" She asked a slight hysteric in her voice.

"I said that I cheated on you." Shame and anguish flowed with his words.

She pulled her hand away, shocked at this development. She had no clue what to say. For some reason tears started to escape her eyes before she could fully grasp what was just said. She remained in the chair still, as the tears fell. She was upset. And why shouldn't she be. She just found out her fiancée had cheated on her. Suddenly a ton of questions flooded her brain. She jumped to her feet and moved to the other end of the room. Ron got up to come near her.

"'Mione, I'm so..." He started to say as he walked over to her.

"Don't say that you are sorry, and do not come any closer. I want to know who she was, Ronald. I want to know who she was. Where you met her? How many times you were with her?" She shouted at him, her voice cracking. He said nothing just looked at her. She clenched her fist, trying to remind herself to not reach for her wand and hex him into next year. "Tell. Me. Ronald. Who. She. WAS." She yelled a bit louder this time her teeth clenched.

He said nothing except for one word, "is." She did not look at his face, she couldn't and the 'is' was very quiet, but she heard it as clear as day.

It did not make sense at first her mind was working too fast for her. "Is?" She mumbled to herself. "Is? Is... IS?" She yelled. She felt dizzy, sick, felt like she was going to faint as the realization hit. "Do you... Mean to... Tell me... RONALD. That you are... Cheating on... ME?" She said trying to get air at the same time trying to keep her voice from cracking.

He said nothing, which made her angrier. She wanted to reach to his throat and strangle him, make his eyes pop out of his head and turn his face blue. She needed her wand. She began rifling through her pockets, "where is my wand?" She asked herself out loud.

Ron looked dumbfounded, "why do you need your wand?" He asked.

"So I can hex you, Ronald." She shouted.

"Hermione, you need to calm down." He shouted back at her. "Can't we talk like adults?" He questioned.

"NO! We CANNOT! I don't even want to see you right now, and you think that we can talk like adults. YEAH RIGHT!" She said; her face red with anger and her perfectly styled hair frizzing. "GET OUT NOW AND NEVER COME BACK!" She yelled rushing at him and pushing him to the door. She was bawling, screaming and clawing as she threw open the door and threw him out on the stairs. "Never again, Ron, will you make a fool of me." She said slamming it in his face.

She then collapsed on the floor in front of the door sobbing, her breath catching and making her dizzy. It was true that she did not want to go through with the wedding. It could also be said that she was no longer in love with him. But, she did love him at one time, utterly and unconditionally. How long did the cheating go on for? How long did he think she would not have noticed it? Would he still have gone through with the wedding if she had not invited him over? Would he have continued to cheat on her?

She thought back to a month ago when they were in this very apartment, she just returned from school and he was back from his training, preparing for the Auror examination. He came over for dinner. They had not seen each other in two months, and it was a mutual homecoming. As soon as she welcomed him into her place they were all over each other, making love all over her apartment. They might have seen each other a few months earlier, but that was not private, the last time they made love was three months before that. To say they least they had around five months of making up to do. The dinner burned in the oven, but neither of them cared. They made love all that night, passing out on the bed in the late hours of the morning, only to wake up a few hours later, where they made love for hours again. It was beautiful, magical, it was so them, and at the same time so unlike them.

Her chest began to hurt as she shook the thoughts from her mind. She hugged her knees to her chest and began rocking on the floor. Only one thought in her mind, was he with the mystery girl before he came to see her that night? After? Was he thinking of her as they made love? She sobbed. Those questions would go unanswered now. He made such a fool of her! Who else knew? Was she the last to know? Were people helping her plan this circus of a wedding to keep her from finding out? She began to heave and bolted from the floor into the bathroom. As her mind raced with thoughts of Ron and some mystery girl, she vomited. She had little to eat over the past few days, but that did not prevent her from expelling everything in her stomach.

When she was finished she stood up weakly and stumbled her way to her bedroom. One look at the bed they shared made her want to puke again. There was no way she was going to lay in that thing tonight. She stumbled out of her room to the linens closet and pulled out a spare pillow and blanket. She carried them to the living room and curled up on the couch. She continued to cry until she passed out from exhaustion.

Ginny flooed herself into Hermione's apartment early the next morning, Ron was at her house right now sleeping on the couch. He rudely kept her and Harry up for hours last night. She was tired and would rather have been in bed, but she needed to see Hermione. The poor girl. She needed a friend right now, and Ginny was her friend. "Hermione?" She asked looking around the living room. She did not see her. She then proceeded to walk through every room in her apartment looking for her. She was not there. Ginny sighed and started walking back to the fireplace. It was then she noticed the little heap of her friend on the Victorian couch. Gosh, that had to be uncomfortable.

Quietly she walked over to her and tapped her shoulder. "Hermione, dear? I thought I would stop in and see how you were doing." She said, there was no response. Ginny shook her shoulder a bit, "Hermione?" She asked; again there was no response. She shook her a little harder and shouted, "Hermione!" She jumped awake.

Hermione blinked her eyes a bit and noticed the red haired Weasley standing in front of her. She was wearing a traveling cloak, her hair was pulled back and she had floo powder on her. Her growing baby belly was visible. "What…" Her voice was dry and raspy, her throat hurt. She cleared it a bit, "what are you doing here?" Her voice was still raspy but it sounded a bit better.

"I thought you could use a friend. So I stopped by." She responded with a smile. "Why don't you go change into something else and I will prepare some tea." She responded. Hermione said nothing but nodded and walked out of the living room, down the hall and into her bathroom. She looked in her mirror and noticed her swollen, red eyes; there were deep purple bags under them. Her hair was half up, and half down, and her makeup was smeared all across her face.

She turned on the water and slipped a glass under the cold stream. She filled it up and then took a deep drink. The cool water coated her throat and made it feel a bit better. She began to drink deeper, guzzling the water down. When she was finished with the glass she drank another. Once she was finished she returned the glass to its proper place and began washing her face with a washcloth. She scrubbed off the makeup leaving her face blotchy, red and painful. After that she took down her hair and tore a brush through it. It made her hair frizz, but she did not care. Once she was done with that she took off the dress she was wearing and put on her pajamas she wore to bed, a simple tee-shit and a pair of yoga pants.

In the kitchen Ginny Potter busied herself with making some toast and tea. Hermione looked like hell on wheels. She felt sorry for her. The poor girl had her life turned upside down just a few short hours ago. Ginny knew she could have never lived through that kind of pain. Her stupid brother! Why would he go and mess up a prefect life for some common tramp. It upset her deeply. And she was worried, if Hermione knew that Ginny was aware of the cheating, their friendship would be over. As she put the tea pot on the table and sat down the cups, Hermione entered. She did not look any better.

"Sit, honey. I made your favorite tea, and some toast." Hermione said nothing. She just walked to the table and sat down. Ginny waited until she was seated before taking the chair opposite of her. Neither of the girls said anything, Hermione did not touch her tea or toast. After about an hour of silence, Ginny stood up prepared to leave. It seemed that it was too soon for Hermione to have visitors. "Well, I guess I will go home." She said refastening her cloak.

"How long have you known, Gin? And who else knew? Who is she? Gin, you got to tell me. It is driving me insane. Please I beg on the basis of our friendship, please tell me." She begged. Her voice was small and full of emotions, it cracked at the end. Ginny sat back down and took a deep breath.

"I'm sorry Hermione, but we all pretty much knew about it." She said. "But I thought it would end as soon as it began." She added quickly. She looked at her friends face it was void with emotion. She said nothing. Ginny continued, "mum and dad somewhat knew, but they thought it would pass, they love you so much and want you to be a part of our family so bad. They just thought he was sowing his wild oats." She stated. Hermione remained silent. "Harry tried to talk him out of it, and I think that Ron wanted to stop but couldn't. It really hurt him when you said you wanted to wait and go to college."

"Wait? How long has this been going on?" Hermione asked.

"About two years, Hermione. I'm so sorry." Ginny responded. Hermione's face remained unchanged.

"Who is she, Gin? Who, is she? Tell ME!" Hermione shouted.

"Luna Lovegood. But I swear nothing was going on while they were in school. I was in her same year and I did not find out until after we graduate last year. And I pretty much just walked in on them at our graduation party. I thought it was a onetime thing." She said.

"Thank you Ginny." Hermione said in a monotone voice. "You should take a cab back to your house, no flooing in your condition." She said not looking at her friend. "Let me call one for you." Hermione walked over to the phone on the table in front of the window and dialed the cab company. She gave them her address and they told her a cab was in the area and was being dispatched.

Hermione walked Ginny to the door where they waited for the cab. They said nothing. Ginny knew that apologizing would not get her anywhere. Hermione needed time, and then once she had that time, Ginny would find a way to get Hermione and Ron back together and they would all be one happy family. The cab pulled out front and honked the horn.

"Thank you for coming Ginny. Just give me a few days and I will call you. Right now I just need some time." She said hugging her friend. Ginny was surprised by the embrace and hugged her friend back. "I forgive you, Ginny. I know it was not your place to tell me. Ron should have never put you in that position. Tell Harry and your family that I love you all." She said pulling apart from the embrace. A silent tear fell from her eye, Ginny failed to notice it. "Now, hurry up. Take the cab home and get some sleep. You have to take care of your baby." She said opening the door, rain was falling hard. She watched Ginny walk down the steps and climb into the cab, Hermione waved at her and smiled. She then closed the door once it was out of site. When she turned around the tears she was keeping locked up while Ginny was there fell freely.

She began screaming and tearing through the house throwing things and sobbing. "HOW COULD YOU RONALD?" She yelled throwing a vase with flowers at the wall. "TWO YEARS!" She smashed a photograph frame on the floor. "WITH LUNA?" She said flipping over the couch. "AND MY FRIENDS! HOW DARE YOU KEEP THIS FROM ME?" She tore apart a pillow. "GUESS I AM HERMIONE GRANGER THE FOOL!" She shouted. For the next hour she tore through each room destroying almost everything in sight, screaming and crying at how big of a fool she was. She hated them all. She never wanted to see any of them again. Never!

When she got to her bedroom she took out two large suitcases from the closet and began filling them with clothes and things she would need for a trip. She was going to leave everything here behind and start anew someplace far away. It took her only a few minutes to fill the suitcases with clothes and toiletries. She then filled a bag with her books and wizarding needs.

Once she had her bags ready she charmed them to shrink in size and she threw them into a small purse she put across her diagonally. She was going to use apparition so she could not be traced by anyone. As far as she was concerned she wanted them all to think she fell off the face of the planet. She would never again face her so called friends. If they were any friends at all they would have told her about Ron and Luna long before now. They would have stopped her from planning the ridiculous wedding neither of them wanted. But they didn't, and she hated them for that. After taking one last look at her apartment she used her wand, "incendio." She shouted starting the place on fire. With a turn she disapparated from her apartment and apparated to the only place far enough away from England where no one would think to find her: Madagascar. And for the first time in her life she ran away from her troubles.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything in the Harry Potter Universe. I am just using the characters and ideas and making my own story. **

**A/N: A BIG thank you to those of you that took the time to read Chapter 1. I enjoyed reading the reviews and I encourage any of you that read it to leave a review so I know how you are liking what I have or if you dislike it. Your opinions matter and who knows your thoughts might shape a chapter! So Read and Review to let me know if I am doing it right. Again I am still looking for a Beta. So if you know anyone please let me know. **

**Happy Reading! **

**Aftermath: Chapter 2**

The old saying was true, 'money talked, bullshit walked.' Hermione had been in Madagascar for a little over two hours and she already had a place to live. After a few short layovers she arrived there late afternoon, early evening. She took some time to change and apply makeup and fix her hair before she marched into the nearest city hall requesting addresses to homes that were secluded. When she put her money down on the counter the woman gave her directions to the local realtor. Hermione walked from the city hall to the office and strolled in. It was extremely hot in the little room where one woman, mid-thirties sat at a computer. Hermione knew the language of Madagascar was Malagasy. Sadly, she knew very little of it. But, she did know French. So she was lucky on at least one front. She tried picking a town that is visited frequently by tourists. She smiled and walked closer to the woman.

"Can I help you?" She asked.

"Ooh, I am glad you speak English. I am afraid that my Malagasy is very poor. But I do know fluent French." Hermione stated.

"That is alright, Madagascar is visited frequently by Americans interested in the culture. So most of the business owners here are fluent in Malagasy, French and English, some even Spanish." She responded. "But if you are going to be around the locals, you might want to try learning Malagasy." She said with a smile. "Now, are you here for a visit, or staying a while?"

"Thank you very much. And I am going to be staying awhile so, I need a place to live at. I am prepared to buy it outright." Hermione responded.

"Then I can help you, my name is Mindy. Please sit." She stood up and pointed to a chair. Hermione walked over and sat down. "Can I get you some coffee?" Mindy asked her.

"No, thank you. I am fine. I just need a place to stay for a while." Hermione responded.

"Okay then. Well, what are you looking for?" She asked.

"Something small, I don't need two floors, or many rooms. It will be just me. I also want it to be secluded, but at the same time close to a town so I am not completely cut off from reality. I don't want to easily be found." Hermione said.

"Okay…" Mindy said a bit suspicious. "May I ask why you want to live here in Madagascar, Miss… Ummm… I didn't catch a name." She said.

Hermione could sense the suspicions in her voice and face. This was Madagascar. It was not every day someone with a British accent arrived throwing around money asking for a place where she would not be found. Hermione thought ahead to this. She knew exactly what lies she was going to tell.

"Black, Mrs. Sirius Black." She said giving the name of someone who she knew was dead, had no children, and would not come looking for her. "I know this might seem odd to you, but my dear husband recently passed away. He was a fair bit older than me and died of congestive heart failure. It was a horrible shock to me losing him when our life together just started. He was a wealthy business man, well known by society in the place we lived. People have been hounding me since his death asking me questions about his company, and what not. I could not heal being there surrounded by people that we lived next to, people that knew my name and face. I have a husband to mourn for and I was not able to do that there.

"And you see we never got a honeymoon because of his work. But he promised to take me to Madagascar, this summer, next month actually, for our honeymoon, on our fifth anniversary." It was here that she let out a fake sobbed and allowed a few tears fall. Mindy gave her a tissue, tears welling in her eyes too. The both were silent for a while, "sorry about that. I am still very emotional about it. But as I was saying, we were going to come here together, and spend a whole month. Now that he is gone, I just felt like being here would be the best place to begin healing. I figured that if I took a year off and came here, next summer I would be a whole different woman and I could return, take over my husband's company and continue his legacy. I don't want to be found while here." Hermione said with a small smile. Her fingers were crossed that this would work. She was not a very good lair.

"Yes, of course Mrs. Black. Let me print off a few listings for you. Take the afternoon to visit them and then call my cell when you find one you like; we can sign the papers and you can move in." Mindy said typing something into her computer. A printer began to hum a few minutes later.

"We have four that meet your request." She said handing over the papers. "Here is all the information you need."

Hermione looked at the four sheets of paper. Each paper had a picture of a small bungalow on them and pictures of the inside, as well as, maps of the locations and buying details. She only looked at each of them for a second before she made her choice, page two. A two room bungalow, all open except for a small spare bedroom, and bathroom. It was located about an half hour away from the town she was in, had its own ocean access and beach, and was secluded enough that someone had to know it was there to be noticed. It was fully furnished and was previously owned by an elderly couple that no longer was able to travel to Madagascar. The place was in foreclosure and was a steal.

"This one, please." She said pointing.

"Don't you want to visit it first?" Mindy asked.

"No, I don't. It is perfect." Hermione opened up her purse, took out the money, added in a little extra and handed it over. Mindy gave her the paperwork to fill out, (she filled it with lies), and the keys. She was in the office a little over an hour. Once she had the key she apparated to her new house.

It looked better in real life, then in the pictures. It was small surrounded by beautiful psalm and fruit trees. Flowers grew in excess around the door and under the front windows; a stone path lead up to the door lined by red bricks. There was a small porch that had a cabana type chairs and table on it with an umbrella. She could imagine herself sitting there looking out over the white sandy beach that was her front yard, reading a book. She was going to like it here, like it here very much.

She walked up the path and unlocked the door. With it being vacant for so long she figured that it would be hard to open, but that was not the case. The door was a gateway to her new life. She thought back to the fire she created. It was simple enough for people to figure out that she set it herself, and after no body was found they would realize she was out there somewhere, but they would never find her. Even if they sent her an owl post and followed the owl, it would lead them to a mail box somewhere in Australia, and then it would make its way, through the power of magic, to her here. She would also get warned by an intruder charm if anyone found her mail box in Australia. She was actually quite pleased with that small stop over before she landed here.

The gateway to her new life was beautiful. There was only one room which was surrounded by windows. She was standing in the living room. She noticed a TV in an entertainment center, a few wicker chairs and a wicked couch, it might have been made from wicker, but it looked very comfortable. Behind that to the right wall, there was a little bedroom area. A large bed surrounded by gossamer curtains had a frame of wicker as well. Wicker side tables hugged the right and left side, along with a wicker trunk at the foot and a wicker dresser against the right far wall. Next to the dresser was a door, which Hermione assumed led to the second bedroom, and the bathroom. The kitchen was in the left corner. It was chrome and felt so out of place compared to the rest of the house. There was tons of counter space, and cabinets, which made her smile. She loved cooking, not too many people knew about her secret passion, but it was a passion all the same.

A table and two chairs were situated in front of a set of sliding glass doors. On the opposite side of the doors was a deck, with a thatched roof, tiki torches, a patio set, and a hammock. It was so cheesy, but it is what she wanted, it was very unHermioneish. She needed that. She needed the escape. There was no way she could ever look at any of her friends again. They all lied to her, they all made her out to be a fool, carrying on like her and Ron was a happy couple. Her only concern was her parents, they would be devastated that she just disappeared but she would send them an owl shortly explaining everything, just not right now. Right now she had work to do.

With a flick of her wand she began giving her bungalow a good scrub. While her wand was scrubbing she began unpacking her clothing. The dresser in the room had five drawers. Two small top ones that was perfect for her bras, underwear, and socks. The next drawer, which was similar in size and shape, she filled with her pajamas, the middle one had her shirts and the bottom one she placed her pants and shorts. She packed a few dressy things that she needed a closet for. She placed them on hangers and walked through the door next to the dresser. Just like she thought there was three doors; one to the left, and two to the right. She opened the first one on the right and there it was a small closet. She hung up the clothes and closed the door.

The spare room she was going to use as her wizarding room. A place to work with potions, practice new spells she was going to create, or just a room to go when she was feeling a bit homesick. She would work on that room later, for now she wanted a bath. Going back into the main room she grabbed a printed maxi dress and some clean underwear. She even grabbed a towel, she figured that if there were towels in the bathroom they would be covered in dust and dirty. The last thing she needed was her toiletry kit. Once her arms were loaded with the items she walked to the bathroom door and pushed it opened.

"Holy crap, this is huge!" She said and it was. The room was every bit as large as the main room. Windows and mirrors paneled the room, making it feel larger then it was. The room was decorated with plants and flowers, and had pink plushy rugs. There was a huge vanity with lights surrounding it, a glass shower that had jets running along the back and front sides, a deep claw food tub, a closet, which she walked over too and discovered it had not only towels and washcloths in it, but a washer and dryer. She smiled. She did not want to always be using magic, so having a few muggle utilities was just perfect. She looked around for a toilet of some sort, but there wasn't one.

She knew a muggle house had to have one, everyone house had one, it must be hidden she thought. She began moving her hand along the walls until she found the door she had been looking for. It was next to the door to the closet. It was small, but she liked the fact that it was separate. She decided to leave the door open; maybe she could do without some of the mirrors. She felt like she was in a dressing room. Hermione placed her clothes on the vanity, and drew a bubble bath. She poured in some bath salts and some lavender smelling cream bath and let the water turn it frothy. For a moment she thought about drawing the blinds on the windows, but she decided against it. She was in the middle of nowhere. Rather than closing the blinds she went ahead and pulled open the windows to let the warm evening air wash in. Once her bath was ready she stripped out of her clothes and sunk into the hot water. She was far from being okay, but she was on her way to trying to repair her life.

**XXXXX**

He was in Spain when the Taboo on his name went off. Someone was talking about him in Madagascar. He could hear what was being said, someone was saying she was his wife, and he was a business man. "What the bloody hell?" he asked aloud. The other men at the table looked at him.

"Good hand there, Black?" The fat chubby man asked. You could hear his thick Spanish accent. He was in the middle of a poker game. It was not the best time to have someone claiming they were married and he was a muggle businessman. The voice sounded similar, he could not put his finger on it.

Sirius swallowed back his shot of tequila and showed his hand. "Royal flush, boys. I win!" He said pulling in the chips. "And if I am not mistaken, this hand ends the game. Pay up!" He said grinning.

"Damn, Black, you almost always win! You gotta tell me how to do it." Another one of the guys said, pulling out his wallet and forking up the money.

Sirius held out his hand. "Magic, boys, just magic." He said grinning bigger. For the past year he had been playing poker every afternoon with the same guys. It was the only normalcy in his life on the run. He guessed he was not running anymore, the Ministry had cleared his name after Voldemort came back five or so years ago, and everyone thought he died in the Department of Ministries, but that was just his cover. He was not going to allow Voldemort to use him in the war. Thankfully, he was gone, killed during the year Harry took off after his sixth year at Hogwarts. Sirius had regular contact with Harry, and a few others, but that was all. He liked being on the go, traveling, seeing the world. He would visit Harry, or Harry would visit him, but most of the time he kept to himself.

"Good ol' Black, always robbing us blind. I don't even know why we try playing against you!" The chubby man stated.

He accepted their money, "a round of drinks on me." He told the bartender. The dingy tavern owner poured the drinks and they all took their shots.

"Will you be back tomorrow?" One of them asked.

"Probably. Same time and same place!" He said as he paid his tab and left the tavern. Sorry boys, he said to himself. He would not be returning the next day. He was going to be going to Madagascar to find out who in the hell is claiming they were married!

He went to his hotel room, another dingy place, just big enough for him to sleep. He threw his belongings in a knapsack, went to the front desk, settled his bill, and then walked out the door and out of town. He could not go apparate until he was out of the city. Spain was filled with witches and wizards, he was not going to risk his cover and let others know who he really was, and his intentions were to come back here once he figured out who was using his name.

Sirius Black walked briskly through the town, people greeting him as he passed. He enjoyed life in Spain. It was his first home in a long time. He had friends; actual people that did not mind his worn down and tattered clothing, people really wanted to see him. God, he even had a muggle cell phone on which his friends would call him. His life did a whole 360 when he, 'died.' He didn't know he could be so happy. True, he missed James and Lily, but he still had contact with Harry and Remus. Besides Dumbledore, no one else knew he made it out alive. The three of them made a pact to keep him a secret, and if and when the time was right, Sirius might try to reenter society. Harry did ask if he could tell Ginny, and Sirius said yes. He understood that Harry did not want to enter into marriage with a secret that large hanging in the back of his mind. Sirius was even at their wedding once she finished school. That was just about a year ago. Ginny sometimes would join Harry when Sirius and Harry met up.

Just outside of the city limits, Sirius could still feel the Taboo on his name lingering in his body. With a deep breathe he apparated to the general location where his name was mentioned. He was standing on the outskirts of a small town. He established the Taboo with Dumbledore's help right after his faked death. Dumbledore thought it was a good idea to help him keep tabs on those that might be following him. After the supposed death his name was mentioned at lot, but he stayed close to the Hogwarts grounds and Dumbledore helped him with the Taboo urges. But, it was five years later. No one talked about him, only in passing, just a few words. No one said they were married to him.

Sirius changed into his animagus form, a beastly black dog with shaggy hair. Whoever it was that used his name had to know what he looked like. Very few knew of his animagus form. It would be safer to travel in this form. The sun was sinking low in the sky; perfect time to creep around. With a smile and an animal howl he began stalking through the town.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Yet again I must mention that I do not own anything in the Magical World of Harry Potter, JKR does. **

**A/N: Thank you all for the great reviews. I spent most of the day yesterday reworking some chapters because of the reviews I got. Just so you know, your voices have mattered. So please keep reviewing. I also wanted to thank all of the readers I've had. I cannot even remember the exact number of people that has signed up for alerts of this story or made the story their favorite. I even had a few that added me to their favorite author list. I want each and every one of you to know that it means a lot to me and I hope that I keep meeting your expectations! I am still looking for a beta so PM me if you know someone or want to be. **

**And lastly... HAPPY READING! :)**

**Aftermath: Chapter 3**

Hermione finished her bath and wrapped herself up in a big fluffy towel. She was in the tub so long the water was ice cold and it made her shiver, but she didn't care. She was relaxed, the first time in a long time. Yes, she still was heartsick over what Ron did, and the way her friends treated her, but she was relaxed. She had a new life here that was just starting, and with time, even though she hated that word, she felt like she might be able to recover. She had a lot of banked money, so it wouldn't hurt her to lie around and be lazy. She never had time to do it before, but she had a chance to do it now.

After she dried off she dressed and took some time to fuss over her hair and makeup. She was going out for dinner and she didn't want to look like she was a train wreck, she wanted to make a good impression on the locals. Once she thought she looked nice, she walked out to the main room and inspected it. Her wand did magic nicely. The house was spotless and sparkling. Everything looked new. Tomorrow she would go shopping to fill up her refrigerator and cabinets.

She slipped her feet into a pair of wedged sandals, and grabbed her purse. She walked out of her new home, and locked it up. With a few wave of her wand she implemented a magical security system. She noticed how dark it was getting already so she used her wand and lit a few of the tiki torches. It was always best to be safe not sorry.

Hermione walked along the path from her bungalow that led into town. It took her about thirty minutes to get there, but she didn't mind. She kept stopping to smell the flowers, or look at something in the ocean. She was taking time and enjoying herself. As long as she focused on Madagascar, and not her life in London she found it easier to breathe. Once she got into the town she noticed that the quaint town had a wild nightlife. Lantern lights were glowing on the streets and music of all types was blaring around her. "What happened here?" She mumbled more to herself then to any person close by. She walked further into the town looking for a place to eat at.

Tomorrow she was going to need to get a local guide to the area, and a dictionary so she could began learning Malagasy. She walked down the main street and found people pouring out of different places. They were in their teens and twenties and were scantily clad in cloth that some people called clothing. She would never be caught dead in them. She began to feel nervous like everyone's eyes were on her, like they were watching every movement she made. She looked down the side streets searching for something normal. But there was nothing. She was just about to return back to her house when she saw a familiar face walking out of the realtor office. She walked over to Mindy.

"Um… Er… Hello, Mindy." Hermione said with a smile.

"Ooh, hello, Mrs. Black. Is there something wrong with the place you bought?" She asked.

"Ooh no. It's just that I am hungry and I wanted to find a place to eat for the evening, but everywhere is so full and crazy. I want a nice quiet place. Is there anywhere you would recommend?" She asked.

"Ooh yeah, in the summer this town is insane; people visiting from all over on vacation. But if you want some place quiet try, Miadanise. All you need to do is continue walking the way you are down this street until you get to Kiazolalana; it is on the left side. Take that road to the end; Miadanise is on the right side, green building and red roof. Make sure you try the Varenga and Vary Amin Anana, or roasted shredded beef with rice and greens. I think you will enjoy it." She responded. "And stop by the office tomorrow and I will give you a guide to the city." Mindy added.

"Thank you very much, Mindy."

"You're welcome, and don't worry, they speak English there. It is actually owned by an American couple. Have a good night." Mindy said.

"You too, Mindy." She said as Mindy walked away. Hermione weaved her way through the crowd of people and she noticed the further down the road she got the more quiet it grew. By the time she turned on Kiazolalana, there was barely anybody on the street, she turned to the left. Mindy was right this street was quiet with buildings on both sides that looked like apartments, little lights glowed from behind closed windows. Hermione walked to the end of the street and saw a little building. Miadanise was printed on a sign; she turned the handle and walked in. It had a warm atmosphere, and had about ten people sitting at random tables or at the bar. A hostess came over.

"Hello, welcome to Miadanise, table for one?" The woman asked.

"Yes, please. Maybe in a corner or something." Hermione suggested. The hostess grabbed a menu and walked her down a center aisle. All the tables were round and small with brightly colored lanterns in the center flickering. The walls were wood and the floor was carpeted. Pictures of animals and people decorated the walls and it smelt divine. She was in love with this place already before she even ate the food. They stopped at a table in the back. Hermione sat. There was a big window to her right.

"Here is your menu; a waiter will be over shortly. Enjoy your meal." She said as she walked away.

Hermione opened the menu and was happy to see that it was both in English and Malagasy. She found what Mindy recommended and smiled. Since she had no idea what else she would like to eat, she would try that. She took a drink of water from the cup at the table and looked around some more. It seemed that most of the people here were middle aged and eating in couples; it made her bitter thinking that she, at one time, would've loved to do that with Ron. But that was a long time ago. Maybe it was her fault Ron cheated? Maybe she should have married him right after Hogwarts. They went through so much with defeating Voldemort. But then again, who would really want to marry her? She was just a simple muggle born witch who thought more about books and knowledge than boys. Maybe relationships were not for her? Maybe Ron needed someone better? She was not outgoing, nor wild. This evening proved it. She could have easily followed the crowds she saw out in front of the realtor office and went into one of those clubs where she could have drank away her pain and made an ass of herself.

Hermione drank some more water, her mouth growing dry. She really thought she had something special with Ron. She thought back to their first kiss the summer before their fifth year, as her gaze shifted out the window. It was right after she arrived to Grimmauld Place. She was out back in the gardens looking at the moonlight, and the night blooming roses. Ron came out with some tea; they just had a fight about telling Harry where they were at. She told Ron they were friends and friends didn't keep secrets from each other. Ron claimed that keeping Harry in the dark was best until Dumbledore gave them the okay. She knew better, she knew Harry was going to hate being left out. So far they had such little contact since Voldemort returned. She knew her friend needed her. If the shoe was on the other foot and she was in Harry's place, she would want to know. Ron being the child that he was ran off to his mother and told her that Hermione was going to send Harry an owl. Mrs. Weasley contacted Dumbledore and he sat her down and explained that he was just acting in Harry's best interest.

Man, she despised Dumbledore so much at times. Hermione knew he thought he was acting in Harry's best interest, but Harry knew what Harry's best interest was. To make a long story short, she was pretty much forbidden to send Harry or anyone for that matter any owl post. It seemed that the only person in the house that agreed with her was Sirius Black. Due to that fact; the house kept her and Sirius separate. Molly was always giving her a new chore to do and Dumbledore kept Sirius busy with the Order.

Ron knew he was out of bounds by running away to his mummy and that she was mad at him. One thing that everyone knew about Ron was that he hated when people were upset with him. He wanted to make a situation better for fear of being left out. He thought brining out tea was enough of an apology. Stupid her for falling for it. They talked for a while and then he kissed her. Just like that, one second they were talking, the next her arms were wrapped around his neck, and they were snogging under the moonlight. It was corny but she thought it was magical. They vowed that night to keep their blossoming romance under wraps to prevent Harry from being distracted, and feeling like a third wheel. He needed them then.

"Excuse me, but are you ready to order?" A waiter said.

"Ahh, yes, I was told to try varenga with vary amin anana." She responded.

"Wonderful choice. What to drink?"

"Whatever is on tap, please." She said handing over the menu.

"Your meal will arrive shortly." He said walking away. She smiled and watched him walk to the bar and pour her the house special. He brought it back to her with a smile.

"My name is Rija. If there is anything else I can help you with please let me know."

"You can call me Jean, Jean Black." She said with a smile as she extended her hand, he shook it. "Thank you very much." She said taking a drink of the draft. He walked away. She liked the taste of the beer here. It was nutty, she normally didm't drink anything besides a cocktail but she wanted to try something new. She was glad she made that choice.

While she waited she let her mind drift back to the following summer, things had changed so much. Sirius died and Voldemort came out in the open. He almost got Harry in the Department of Ministries. Hermione took the loss of Sirius horribly, he was such a good man and friend; she admired him. Everything went downhill. The following year Harry learned about the Horcruxes, the whole world went fuzzy after that. Everything moving at a fast pace, and yet in slow motion. She tried being everything to everyone and was spreading herself too thin. The one person she thought she could count on was Ron, but in the end he left too. True, he came back, but the damage was done. "Why didn't I stop then?" She mumbled to herself. But no, she continued her relationship with Ron; after the battle with Voldemort, when they went back to school the following year, when he proposed, and then for his training and her schooling at the university. There were many times when she could've broken it off, but being in love did weird things to a person's head and heart. And now she was stuck with dealing with the aftermath of her choices.

XXXXX

Sirius, in his beastly dog form, weaved his way through the streets of the busy town. Everything made his head hurt. Why did people like that kind of music? Why did they dress so trashy? Good thing about wizarding robes he thought… You cannot show that much skin wearing something so ghastly. He chuckled, or more like barked. A group of teenaged girls looked at him. He had been wandering the streets for hours and had no signs of magic or any person he might know.

The Taboo was wearing off. He wanted to cuss but knew it wouldn't help. He decided to turn down what seemed like the last street in the town. It was darker than the others and quiet. He liked this street. He walked down to the end and noticed a little restaurant. Maybe it was the smell of food summoning him? Or maybe some of the Taboo lingered? But part of him told him to look around back. Being one always to follow instincts he walked around back where there were a few windows. He peered in the first and saw a small, quaint setting. It made him smile. In a previous life he never would want to eat in something so boring, but who knew, he just might have to try it before he left back to Spain. He walked to the next window and was staring at the back of a woman's head. She seemed to be on a date. His keen ear told him they were talking about the beaches, swimming, and no swimming suites. The guy was laughing and mentioned about waiting until later when the town was quieter.

He smiled, ahh young love. He never really fell in love. Yes, he had women; many of them, in all shapes and sizes, but in the morning they left. There was one woman in Spain that he had regular meetings with, but that was only sex, never dinner, or a date. He walked to the last window and saw her sitting there. He was sure she was the one that used his name. That is why the voice was so familiar, he heard it a lot a few years back; the bossy, know-it-all, bushy haired friend of his Godson, Harry. But why in hell was she in Madagascar when her wedding to Ronald Weasley was only a few days away? He wondered. And why in the hell was she using his name?

He thought back to his last conversation with Harry. It was about a month back, they met up in Spain in his little hotel room. Harry told him that Ginny was pregnant and brought him a picture of the tiny baby in her belly. Sirius cried. Harry cried. Then they went to a bar, got drunk, and spent time catching up. They tried to meet once a month, but their previous meeting was some three months before that because Harry was away on assignment.

Harry brought up Ron and Hermione and gave him an invite to their wedding. Sirius only talked business with Ron or Hermione, or talked about Harry, that was the extent of it. He thought there was more between the two of them and he did spy them snogging a few times around the house. He knew nothing of their personal life, he didn't care. He figured that Ron and Hermione would get married and start a family just like Harry and Ginny, and he felt sorry for Hermione. He did not particularly like Ron, there always seemed something off with him, but he could admire the drive that Hermione had. She was a genius, the smartest witch her age, now probably the smartest witch in the world. He never forgot how she saved him during their third year. He would always owe her one for that.

Sirius noticed that Hermione just received her dinner, it looked mouthwatering. He tried thinking back to his last good mean that was not a shot… He could not think of any, man he could use a nice hot meal. While she was eating, Sirius decided he should give Harry a call and see if the wedding was still on. After all, it was only a few days away, and Harry could understand why he would want to make sure it was still on before he traveled all that way. Sirius walked back into the trees that were behind the building and transformed into human form. He pulled out his cell phone and hit Harry's number. Simple muggle inventions like this made him wonder if muggles were smarter than what he gave them credit for. He waited while it rang.

"Hello, Hermione?" It was Ginny's voice she seemed panicked.

"Uh, no. It's SB. Is something wrong with Hermione?" He asked.

"Ooh hello SB. To what do we own the honor of your call?" She asked.

"Well, I'm still in Spain, and I was planning on attending Hermione and Ron's wedding, and I just wanted to make sure that it was still for next Saturday. It is a long trip up there, and I am sure you can understand why I would want to walk or run, and not apparate." He said. There was silence and then a sob and sniffle.

"Ginny, you alright? Did something happen to Hermione?" He asked stupidly.

"Talk to Harry about it." She said. There was a shuffle of a phone being passed.

"SB, how nice to hear from you." Harry's voice made him feel homesick. He sounded so much like James.

"Harry, my boy, how goes it?" He asked.

"Not too good, SB."

"Why, is something wrong?"

"Yes." And then Harry began rushing out the story of Ron's cheating and him telling Hermione last night; then Ginny visiting her and the way Hermione seemed odd when they chatted, and how she was denying their visits. "And then the oddest thing happened, Ginny had to make the cab return to Hermione's because she forgot something, and when she got back there Hermione's apartment was on fire. Ginny of course being the great witch she is put out the fire before it went too far. But it seems like Hermione just packed up some things and disappeared. She left no notice and Ginny feels like she wanted people to think she died in the fire. The ministry said her bank accounts were cleared out and that she started the fire with her own wand. We've been looking all over for her for most of the day. She is nowhere to be found. Her parents are worried sick. Ron is drinking away the pain, on my couch nonetheless, and Molly is a wreck, she blames herself." Harry concluded.

Sirius listened and was shocked by what he heard. "Wow that is some crazy shit… But why would Molly blame herself?" He asked. It was times like this he wished he was back in London at least he would not be left out when something mportant happened.

"Well, everyone around Hermione; Gin, me, the Weasley's, her parents, people from Hogwarts… Well, we all knew he was cheating on her, and she didn't. We thought he would stop when they got married. But it seems like he is in love with Luna…"

Sirius cut him off, "Luna… Luna Lovegood, your guy's friend? The blond one, kinda floaty?" He asked.

"Er… Yeah."

"How long was it going on for?" Sirius asked. He was livid and really wanted to tear his godson a new ass, but his main concern was Hermione right now. It was a long trip from London to Madagascar.

"About two years."

"Harry, my boy that is a huge thing to keep from one of your best friends. No wonder why she just left. I don't blame her. Poor girl. She must've been crushed. She adored Ron. I remember them at your wedding. I don't understand why you would keep something like that from her? Can you please explain that to me?" He questioned. His tone was harsh, but Harry deserved it. Sirius never would have kept such a big secret from James or Remus. Never.

Harry was silent on the other line and Sirius waited. "I don't know, Sirius. I don't."

"That is a pretty crap excuse, Harry. Hermione was your friend; look at all of the help she gave you over the years. How could you throw away almost eight years of devoted friendship on such a huge lie? I know that you and Ron are close… But still. Was Ron the one doing your homework for you? Was he the one pouring over books trying to help you with that water challenge during the Tri-Wizard Tournament? When Ron ditched you because your name was drawn, who was the one that still was your friend and tried bringing the two of you back together?" Sirius questioned him. His voice filled with anger, and he made sure that Harry heard it.

"Sirius, I feel guilty enough. I don't need it from you!" Harry said and then he hung up the phone.

Sirius snapped his phone shut. He sighed and went back to animagus form. That poor girl, no wonder why she was using his name, she probably wished she was dead. He walked back to the window and looked at her. She was smiling and talking to the waiter. He brought her another glass of beer. The waiter was flirting with her, heavy, and Sirius didn't blame him. She looked extremely beautiful with her hair up like that, and very slight makeup. She was even wearing a spaghetti strapped dress that showed off her toned arms. Sure everyone here dressed that way, but there was something different about how she looked. Maybe it was the fact her was not used to seeing her so grown up. When he saw her last year at Harry's wedding, she was in dress robes, and she looked nothing like she looked now back then.

But in all honesty, Sirius was worried about her. She must be hiding so much pain behind her carefully composed exterior. Maybe he should stick around for a bit and make sure she was going to do okay on her own.

XXXXX

Hermione finished her meal and the waiter brought over her bill. She gave him the money and a generous tip. He smiled and told her to come back anytime. As she left the little restaurant she looked over her shoulder. During her meal she had the oddest feeling that she had eyes watching her. She knew she was being silly, but she held tight to her wand as she walked down the dark street out to the main road. It calmed down a lot compared to before her meal. She guessed most people were eating, or at a club somewhere. She continued down the main street until she got to her turn off.

As she walked she kept her ears open, her instincts were blaring inside of her, and she could sense a magical aura in the air that was not hers. She just could not point to where it was coming from. As she walked she was sure she heard the padding of feet or paws behind her. The sand muffled a lot of sound. She picked up her pace wanting to get closer to her bungalow and get safely inside.

"Stop, it Hermione!" She said out loud. "You are being perfectly silly. Why in the world would someone follow you? You are just jumpy because you are alone in a new…" CRACK! Hermione turned around, pulling out her wand, "Petrificus Totalus," she shouted… She heard a thump…


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I am not the creator of any of these characters. I am just using them to my own will and my own creative ideas. **

**A/N: I want to say that yet again I am very happy that you all are responding so well to the plot of my story. I was really nervous, like I am sure most others are, when they first publish something that readers wouldn't like the plot. But you all have given me such wonderful reviews. I just want to let you all know how much I appreciate it! I love all of you that take the time to read the chapters and leave your ideas. Your opinions matter to me, and to the story. This chapter is a bit longer, but we get more into Sirius. I am sorry if there is a few mistakes in it but I am sick at the moment and I've been a bit foggy when I've looked through it. So please forgive me. And I am still looking for a beta! **

**Lastly... Happy Reading! And don't be afraid to let me know what you think!**

**Aftermath: Chapter 4**

"Bloody hell, Woman!" Sirius shouted falling to the ground resuming his human form.

"Who's there?" Hermione's frightened voice shouted. "I have a wand and I am not afraid to use it." She said. Then he saw jets of light in different colors coming from her direction, undoubtedly she was casting nonverbal spells.

"WOULD YOU LOWER YOUR WAND?" Sirius shouted. "And let me get off the ground so I can explain."

"Who are you? How do you know I have a wand? I can sense your magical energy." She said.

"I don't doubt that, but lower your wand. I don't feel like dying tonight." He said.

"Who are you?" She asked. He didn't answer. He was trying to spit out some sand. Ugh being bested by a woman, if only he could have got to his wand. She began sending out spells again, bright green and red jets of light.

"HERMIONE GRANGER, LOWER YOU WAND RIGHT THIS MOMENT! OR I WILL CALL HARRY AND TELL HIM WHERE YOU ARE!" He shouted getting angry. Why were women so thick skulled?

"How in the hell do you know my name? Or Harry?" She questioned.

"Lower your wand and I will tell you. Better yet toss it on the ground in front of your feet." He stated. And he waited. She was logical; he knew she would do it.

"Why should I trust you? I have no idea who you are? You could be a trick."

"I think Mad-Eye rubbed off on your too much." He responded.

"How do you know Professor Moody?" She questioned.

"Lower your wand and I will explain everything." He said. After a few moments of consideration he heard it fall to the ground. It made a soft thud, but his dog like ears did not lie. "Good girl, now don't freak out. I am just going to stand up and grab my own wand to get some light here." He said. Hermione said nothing and made no attempt to get her wand. Sirius stood up and brushed off his robes, then pulled out his wand, "lumos," he said. His wand lit up the area around them. "It's me Hermione, Sirius Black." He said. He could tell by her face he did not believe it, even though she could see him clear as day. "Would you like me to prove it?" She nodded.

"Your name is Hermione Jean Granger, best friend to my Godson Harry Potter. A few years back when you were in your third year you saved me from the Ministry by rescuing a Hippogriff called Buckbeak. He was sentenced to beheading after he attacked Draco Malfoy when Malfoy instigated him. He and I traveled around the world, until we went to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, where he lived in my mother's room. After my supposed death at the end of your fifth year at Hogwarts he was willed to Harry who gave him back to Hagrid and Buckbeak was renamed Witherwings for his protection." He could tell with each detail he gave her she realized it was him and when he finished, there was the soft thump of her falling forward, passing out from shock, no doubt.

"Hermione?" He said rushing over to her. She was out cold; he rolled her over to her back, her face and clothes covered with sand. "Come on, Hermione, wake up." He said shaking her a bit. She didn't move. "Shit. Way to go Sirius. Nothing like scaring a girl to death. Great way to make a second impression." He said mocking his own self. "Hey, it's me, Hermione, Sirius Black, you saw me fall into the Veil a few years back, but I am alive and well." He shook his head at his own stupidity. "Hermione? Come on wake up." He said shaking her a bit harder. Nothing.

With a sigh, he carefully shuffled her into his arms, picked up their wands and continued walking north. He figured her house was back there. Why else would she be walking this way? He kept his eyes on her as he walked; wanting to make sure he was not hurting her. Finally after a few minutes of carrying her in his arms he saw the glow of tiki torches. She felt surprisingly light; it was a breeze carrying her. He felt the magic in the air and knew this was the right place. He was not even going to try to open the door with magic; he knew she would have protected it. He rearranged her in his arms, then tried balancing her on his knee, and got the key from her purse. He unlocked the door and pushed his way in. With a flick of his wand he lit the room and carried her over to the bed. She still had suitcases on it. He moved them with his wand to the truck at the bottom of the bed. He placed her on the bed and went over to the sink basin and poured a glass of water and moistened a washcloth. He went and put it next to the bed and began taking off her sandals.

She was beautiful and he felt like he was invading her and her private space. He tried to get the shoes off without touching her too much. God only knew how she would react knowing that he carried her in here and took of her shoes. Once he finished with that he laid the washcloth over her forehead. He pulled over a chair from the kitchen table and sat next to the bed. She would wake up soon enough and would be wanting answers.

XXXXX

The first thing Hermione noticed as she began to wake up was the pounding in her skull. How much did she have to drink the night before? She tried to get her brain to catch up. She remembered the restaurant, and that delicious food and wonderful woody beer. She remembered the feeling someone was watching her, and then… and then she remembered everything; it all came crashing back. Did she really see Sirius Black? Was he here? She passed out after he told her about Buckbeak. How did she get here? She was in her bed, right? She felt that her shoes were off, and something semi-soggy was on her forehead. Holy shit, Sirius Black, alive? How did he manage that?

She opened up her eyes slightly and saw a form crumpled in the chair, he was lightly snoring. She opened her eyes more and saw his face. "Shit." She said quietly. It really was Sirius Black. A million questions flooded her mind. Why was he here? How did he find her? Why was he following her? Did Harry know? She hoped not. If he did, did he tell Harry she was here? How? How did he survive? She watched the veil capture him.

She needed to think. She needed to get out. She needed to go for a run. Quietly getting up off the bed she walked to the dresser and pulled out a pair of leggings, a sports bra and an old t-shirt. She went into the bathroom and changed. She changed fast not wanting to have him wake up before she was out of the house. She could not talk to him with her head so jumbled. She tiptoed out of the bathroom and into the main room. She passed over tennis shoes and slipped out the sliding glass door. Once outside she began running away from her house, up the path to the main street, but she didn't turn off she just kept going straight. She ran until she reached a dead end and then changed her path. She ran until her head grew empty and all her thoughts focused on keeping her feed buried in the sand and staying at a constant pace. She watched the sun in the sky go from morning sunrise to early afternoon. She kept running until the sun was so hot she was dripping sweat; her mind focusing on the burning of her muscles and the sounds of the town around her. She stopped running and began walking home. She was ready to talk to Sirius. As she got closer to her bungalow she jumped into the crystal blue water and swam the thirty minute walk.

In the hot afternoon light she saw exactly how larger the area was around her. She really was out here all on her own. She bet no one even heard the scuffle of the night before. No one would hear her at all if something happened to her out there. Oddly, she felt very little and alone.

When her bungalow came into view she began to wade to the shore. She was wet and looked horrible, but didn't care. She walked right through the front door. He was in the kitchen sitting at her table, drinking coffee. She said nothing to him but walked over to her dresser, pulled out some clean clothes and walked into the bathroom. She showered quickly, dressed, and walked back out to where Sirius sat. He said nothing as she poured herself some coffee and sat down. They looked at each other for a while. After about an hour and two cups of coffee she finally said, "explain."

XXXXX

Sirius said nothing as Hermione's gaze burned into his. He had no idea what he should say. When he woke up she was gone, but he stayed knowing she deserved some sort of explanation. He knew she would be back so he made some coffee. He went through three pots before she returned. He wished there was something stronger in the house. Finally after an hour of her staring at him she said, 'explain.'

He took a deep breath, "I guess I should start with the veil. Ummm… Dumbledore saved me. We planned the death actually. To help protect Harry, he knows about me by the way, so does Ginny, Remus, Tonks, Teddy and Dumbledore, of course, but that is all. Ummm… It looked like I died but I went on the run, like I did before with Buckbeak in your third year. I kept in touch with them, but never stayed in one place long. Well, about a year ago after Ginny and Harry married, I moved to Spain and settled there. I built a life. Yesterday though, the Taboo Dumbledore and I created on my name went off and I heard your voice using my name. But I didn't know it was you. I couldn't place the voice. But anyway, I followed the Taboo here to Madagascar, pissed as hell that someone was saying I was their husband.

"I looked all over for the source of the voice, and then I followed the lingering Taboo to the restaurant you ate at. When I saw you I realized it was your voice. But I was shocked because I thought you were supposed to get married Saturday. Harry gave me an invite. So I called Harry, just to see if the wedding was still going on and he said no and filled me in. But I didn't say anything about you. He hung up on me after I laid into him. I followed you home, where you tried to attack me but I made you faint so I carried you here and laid you on the bed and put the washcloth on your head. I guess I fell asleep waiting to see if you were okay." He said all in one mad rush. Man he did not make any sense. Usually he was more level headed.

She was silent as she drank another cup of coffee; her eyes blank and unreadable. Finally she said, "Harry does not know where I am? You swear you didn't tell him?" She asked, her eyes pleading.

"No, I am actually disappointed and pissed at him for keeping this from you; you don't deserve it, Hermione. You really don't. I don't blame you for running away here. I would have done the same thing." He responded.

"Good, because I don't want them to know. At all." She said fiercely.

"Your secret is safe with me." He responded standing up. He went to the basin and washed his cup and placed it on the counter to dry. "Well, I guess I should go. I doubt you want me to ruin your alone time." He said walking to the door. "Goodbye, Hermione Granger." He said with a wave as he opened the door and walked out. He shut it softly and then began walking up the trail to the main road.

XXXXX

Hermione waited all but five seconds before she ran out of the house after him. She had no idea what she was doing. Maybe she wanted a connection to the wizarding world? Or the company? Or just wanted to spend time with him? "Sirius, wait." He stopped and turned around. "I have an extra room I was planning on using as a potion room or something. But if you want to you can stay in it for a while. You won't have to pay anything." She said with a smile.

"Ooh no. I cannot accept that. It is too kind." He stated and he turned around and began walking again.

She ran to catch up and put her hand on his shoulder, "please. I know you know what happened. I just lost all of my friends. I abandoned my life in London, my wizarding life to come here and be a bum. I have no connection to anyone or anything. Please, just stay for a bit. I am sure that you feel somewhat the same way I do. I just want a connection to the good times I once had, before everything went bad." She said with a sigh, a few tears forming.

He looked deep in her eyes and sighed. "I guess, Hermione. I am between locations anyway. I could use a clean place to live at and some good food for a bit. Maybe even some magic. Magic would be nice." He sighed.

"Thank you." She said hugging him. She was shocked by her actions, and his body language seemed to be shocked too but he awkwardly hugged her back. She guessed it was an evolutionary trait; species just had to be around similar species. She broke the hug quickly. They both seemed a little embarrassed.

"Er… I don't want to live here without chipping in. I have money. Not a lot of it, but I've done nicely in the past two years. I excel at poker." He said grinning. They looked at each other for a bit.

"Well, I think that we should get back to the house and get your room set up. Did you bring anything with you?" Hermione asked.

"I have a knapsack with some clothing in it. Other than that, I've just been living out of hotel rooms." He said starting to walk back to the bungalow.

"Where have you been living at?" She asked, following him.

"At first I was in London with Dumbledore for a while after my staged death. About three years ago I started traveling, in my dog form, around the world. Trying to stay away from Voldemort, but offer Harry my support at the same time. I followed you guys as you traveled for Horcruxes. I don't know how much of a help I could've been, but it gave me something to do and I felt useful. About a year ago I took up post in Spain because I liked it there. I was actually in the middle of a poker game when the Taboo on my name went off."

"Taboo? You've been saying that a lot. Like Voldemort?" She asked.

"Yeah, Dumbledore helped me create it; in case Voldemort began talking about finding me if he doubted my death. We knew that Harry needed the family, and that Voldemort would have used me to get to him. It was no longer safe for me or him. I mean he already used me once to get Harry away from Hogwarts." Sirius said. He held open the door for her. She walked into the house and sat at the table. Sirius followed.

"We told Harry later in the summer, before Dumbledore took him to The Weasley House. See, he never believed that I died, so it was quite easy for him to believe that I was alive. He swore he would not tell a soul, not even you and Ron. I hope that does not upset you, but I thought it would be safer that way. He kept up his end of the bargain and I kept mine. We stayed in contact through our mirrors, and he would try to sneak and visit me once a month." Sirius concluded.

"I always wondered why he carried around the mirror. It was like he expected it to go off, but you were dead, I never understood it. Ron and I were beginning to think he was going a little mad." She took a sip of the cold coffee. "I understand why you all did it though." She said getting up and putting her cup in the sink. "And now I guess I am a part of the secret. I promise I won't tell anyone…" She stopped and took a deep breath, "well, it is not like I have anyone to tell." She remained silent as she washed out her glass and put it in the strainer.

She knew that Sirius was looking at her because she could feel the stare, "I don't want your pity, Sirius. If you think I need that, and the only reason you want to stay is because you feel sorry for me… Then you should just leave." She shouted a little angry, more at herself than Sirius.

"Hermione, I don't pity you, I do feel sorry for you, though. But, just because Ron, with his infidelities, has now made you into a woman that is going to be scared to love again, to trust another soul again, he destroyed one of the most beautiful parts of your soul." He said with a sigh. "Ron is such an ass for cheating on you. And stupid. How could he not see the magnificent creature he had in front of him."

"It was not all his fault, Sirius. If we just married after graduation, then we would not be in this situation. We would be happy and starting our own little family right now. I messed up too. Wanting more education, wanting to travel, see the world. Maybe I am stupid too. Maybe it is my entire fault. I understood, even before he did, how our lives would turn out, well, how I thought they were going to turn out. And I should have kept to that path, that road, and I thought I did, but something changed over time… And things got so fucked up." She stated. She knew she was being a bit too cryptic, but then again, Sirius did not need to know her time travels to the future, even after all of these years she still could have gotten in a bunch of trouble.

"Hermione, you all of people should know how easy a path of life can change. Life is one thing we cannot control, and love is another. Yes, you fell in love with Ron, and he loved you too, but sometimes it is best for two people to remain friends." He stated. Hermione had a feeling he was talking from experience.

Hermione stood with her back to Sirius at the sink and wiped away her silent tears. She couldn't hide them from him. "Sirius, I just don't understand why! Why, did Ron cheat on me? Why didn't I find out? Why didn't my friends or family tell me? Why did he make such a fool of me? Why? Damn it, WHY?" She said slamming the glass in her hand on the basin, "fuck," she said as her hand poured out crimson blood.

Hermione ran cold water over her hand, it stung. "Damn it, I can't do a thing right." She said pulling her hand out of the water and covering it with a towel. Hermione heard Sirius chair scrape across the floor. "Let me see it, Hermione." He said pulling her hand, maybe a little too roughly.

"Ouch." She said.

"I'm sorry. I guess I am a bit ill-advised when it comes to human emotion. And fuck if I know anything about women." He pulled out his wand. "I think you are going to need stitches." He said examining the cut. "I know that magic could heal this quick, but I am not best with medical magic, and I am sure that you are in no condition to be messing with a wand." He said.

"Just do what you have to, Sirius." She responded. She felt a little queasy.

"Come sit." He said reapplying the towel, and walking her to the table. He moved the two chairs to where they were sitting next to each other not across. He summoned a first aid kit.

"I am sad to say that I was only in love once, and it was a fucked up kind of love. It did not work to well partially because of me and my friends and partially hers. I was young, and it did not last long." He sighed. "Since then, I guess you can say I've just had notches in the bed post. It is not hard to find a woman that just wants one night of good sex. You know it is easier to find nowadays women that want a quick fling then those that want commitment." He talked as he worked on her. His voice sounded full of some mixture of regret, despair, and, longing. He began cleaning out her hand.

"In Spain there are many women that are… How should I put this…?" He thought for a moment, "sexually experienced." He said with a sigh. "They pretty much throw themselves at you." He stated as he started threading the needle.

"So, there was really no one special in Spain that kept you there?" Hermione asked with a wince. She watched the needle pierce her pink flesh.

"Sorry, Hermione. The gash is not that long, but it is very deep. This should be over shortly. He said with a slight smile. "And, yeah there was a lady. A beautiful lady that made me the happiest man in the world…" He said with a sheepish grin.

Hermione felt a pang of something… She didn't know what. "She sounds special."

"Ooh she is, I think she won me right around two hundred seventy-five thousand dollars over the past year." He stated.

"I hope you are not talking about a whore, Sirius." Hermione said in her critical and bossy tone.

"No, Hermione, I am talking about Lady Luck. She was always on my side when I would play poker. I won more than I lost. Within three months of starting playing, I was asked to join a big boy, high stakes game. Those four men are probably my best friends, aside of Remus, Harry and Dumbledore." He said with a smile.

"I hope you played fair, Sirius. I hope you did not use magic to tip the cards in your favor." She said. She gave him an evil stare, like she could read through his lies and find the truth.

"No, I did not. Not once. The only time in the past two years I used magic was when I was traveling by apparition, in my animagus form, or when I would enlarge the special necklace I have here," He pulled out a piece of string with a pouch on it, "so I could store all of my money and special belongings." He put it back under his shit. "And when I did win, I never, not once ever spent my money foolishly. I still have over a hundred thousand saved, I spent the rest on food, my hotel room, and when I would win I would buy a round of drinks for all the people in the bar. All of the guys did it." He said. He kept his eyes on his work and Hermione barely felt the needle enter and exit her skin.

She was impressed by him. She always felt that Sirius Black was reckless. That he lived in the moment and did what he wanted, when he wanted, and how he wanted to do it. She was surprised that he was actually mature. She guessed she would always see him as that free spirited young guy that used to aggravate Severus Snape when he was younger. And all of that advice he would give Harry, that was not the wisest. She sighed, and thought to herself, _I guess people do tend to change with time!_

"Are you alright, Hermione?" Sirius asked tying off the stitch line and applying a Band-Aid.

"Yeah, just thinking." She responded looking at her hand. "Thank you for mending me up, Sirius." She said standing up and taking care of the towel that was wrapped around her hand.

"Now, I guess we need to get your room fixed up and go shopping for some food." She said with a smile.

"Yes, I think we should. And I recommend that we get something stronger than coffee to drink." He said grinning.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: The Harry Potter characters in the chapter below are not of my own creation, but of JKR. She is the genius behind the Potter World!**

**A/N: Hello faithful readers. *waves* So here I have another chapter! It is a shorter one, but I think that it gives the readers a glimpse into Hermione's emotional mentality... Something that is going to be unfolding over the next few chapters and the rest of the story! It is something that Sirius is familiar with! So it is a great thing that helps them bond. **

**A few of you were curious as to what is happening back in London. Chapters 10 and 11 will show you! Just be patient...**

**I am still getting over being sick... So if there is small errors please forgive me and let me know. I'll fix them! And I am still looking for a beta. **

**I again want to thank all of my readers, yesterday I had 1.2k visitors to my stories and have had around 75 story alerts! That is pretty cool I think. I love you all! HAPPY READING! Please review!**

**Aftermath: Chapter 5**

Hermione, do you mind if I take a quick shower?" Sirius asked from the hallway. Hermione was in the spare bedroom trying to remodel it for him. It seemed that the room was used for the previous owner's grandchildren and had a set of twin beds with very colorful walls. Hermione was busying fixing that. Most of the items in the room could be reused. One twin bed was good enough for Sirius, and there was a desk and built in bookshelves. It was small, but good enough for him to have some privacy.

"Of course Sirius. I've not had a chance to wash any towels but there are a few clean ones in the suitcase at the foot of my bed." She responded.

"Thanks, Hermione." He said.

Hermione finished covering the walls with a warm brown paint. Once she finished with that she used her wand to rearrange the bed to the opposite wall next to the bookshelves, the night stand and lamp moved with the bed, and then she moved the desk to the wall next to the window. The little closet in the room had a few shelves in it which was perfect for his wardrobe. Like he previously mentioned it was very small. She really wanted to wash it for him, but she was not going to intrude in her personal things.

The last thing that Hermione did was move one of the wicker chairs from the living room into his room so he had a pace to sit. The location of it was perfect because he would get to sit in the chair and watch the beautiful sunset. With a final flick of the wand she opened the window to let in the fresh air and then she stripped the bedding. She left the room pleased with the work she did in such a short amount of time and she felt that Sirius would like it.

She put the pile of bedding in front of the bathroom door and then went out to the table and added a few items their shopping lists. She was pleased to discover that all of the cabinets were filled with dishes, glasses, cutlery, pots and pans. Sirius' wand was busying washing them in the sink and putting them away nicely. It was great having two wands doing work. It got jobs done in half the time.

"I started a load of laundry, Hermione. I put in the bed sheets and my clothes." Sirius said walking out of the bathroom.

Hermione looked over at him. He was cleaned shaved, hair trimmed, wearing a clean pair of slacks and a button down shirt. He looked quite handsome. She realized that she was gawking. "Err… Ummm… I'm surprised you know how to work muggle utilities." She said with a smile shuffling through the lists. She hoped he did not notice.

Sirius chuckled, "I've been living as a muggle for a few years now. I know how to use a washer and dryer." He said staring back at her. "You are going to want to add soap on that list." He said pointing at the papers in front of her.

"I'm ready to go if you are." She said smiling. He nodded and she grabbed her purse.

They walked shoulder to shoulder to town both of them with a smile on their faces. Her mood was lighter since Sirius decided to stay. Even if he did remind her of what she lost, he was a fresh face and unlike her other friends he did not keep a horrible secret for her. He seemed just as pissed off about the whole thing as she was. "You clean up nice, Sirius." She said trying to make conversation before things had a chance to turn awkward.

"Thank you, Hermione. It was nice to take a hot shower. And those jets, they are bloody awesome. I could've stayed in there for hours." He said. She felt bad for him; at least for the last five or so years she had some creature comforts. Even when she was on the run looking for the horcruxes she lived in a tent that had all the amenities of home.

"How was it, Sirius, being on the run? I mean you were trapped in Azkaban for what, twelve years, and then on the run once you got out." She said. He was quiet and said nothing, she worried she overstep some boundary. "I am not trying to be nosey or overstep a boundary or anything, I just cannot fathom it."

"Nah, you didn't cross any boundaries. It just shocked me that you might actually be interested in me. I mean aside from James, Remus, Harry and Voldemort, no one really has taken time to take interest in me. My mates in Spain were not wizards so it was not like I could come out and say ooh yeah it sucked, and there were times I felt more like an animal than anything relatively human." He responded is a somewhat small voice.

"Well, I've always cared and worried about you, Sirius. I always knew there was more to you than what meets the eye. I know that most people believed that you were just a part of James Potter's gang, but I knew that there was more to you. I uuhhh…" She began blushing, "I researched you back in my third year when I found out you escaped. I spent hours doing it. Having the time-turner was a wonderful asset. I know that you got twelve Outstanding O.W.L.s; and that your main focus in your sixth and seventh years was on Auror Classes, and that you got Outstanding N.E.W.T.s in Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfigurations, Care of Magical Creatures, Herbology, Astronomy, Ancient Runes and Arithmancy.

"I know that you were a keeper on James' Quidditch team. I also know that out of the four of you Marauders that you took the most classes and got the best grades, but you were often overshadowed by James who had more of an open and outgoing personality." She concluded. He was silent as they walked into the main part of the town. Hermione kept stealing glances at him and saw that his face was deep in thought. She thought that it was best to just let him be alone with those thoughts. She was so stupid for opening up her mouth.

"Uh… I need to stop in at the realtor office, Mindy said she would give me a few guides." Hermione said as they walked in front of it.

"I am sure that would be helpful." He said in a monotone voice. He held the door open for her and she walked in.

"Thank you." She said flashing him a smile. "Hey Mindy. Good afternoon." Hermione said when Mindy lifted her head.

"Hello Mrs. Black. I have…" She stopped when she saw Sirius. "Ooh, hello, I've not had the honor of meeting you." She said.

"Ooh yes, Mindy, this is my late husband's business partner." Hermione said, at a loss for what name to give him.

"SB Granger." He said extending his hand. "It is a pleasure to meet you." He said with a smile. Hermione almost chuckled.

"The pleasure is all mine, SB. Are you going to be here for a while?" She asked.

"We are working on some business things; mergers and acquisitions. Boring things like that. My son works at the company, he is the CFO, I decided to come here and help Jean while he runs things for a bit. It is really overwhelming for her." He said with a smile. Man, he was charming the pants off of her.

"That is nice of you. I am sure that Jean could use the friend." She said with a smile.

"Yes, she does need them more now than ever." He said looking at her.

"I take it you two are close?" She asked.

"Yes, he was my husband's best friend. They started the company together and now he will be the sole owner." Hermione responded wanting to draw the conversation to a close and get Sirius out of the building before Mindy began throwing herself at him. "Do you have those books you said I could get from you?" She asked.

"Ahh… Yes…" She said taking her eyes off of Sirius for the first time since she laid them on him. "Yeah they are right here." She said handing over a small bag. "You will find everything you need in there." She said with smile, it was directed right at Sirius.

"Do I owe you anything for them?" Hermione asked her.

"No, you don't it is a welcome gift from me." Mindy said with another smile.

"Thank you, Mindy. SB we really should get going." Hermione said looking at the door. "It was nice seeing you again Mindy have a great night." She said in a somewhat cold tone.

"Yes, Mindy. It was a pleasure to meet you. Maybe we can get together for drinks sometime." Sirius offered.

"That sounds splendid." She almost squealed.

"Wonderful," he said clapping together his hands. "Have a wonderful evening." He added looking at her. Then he walked Hermione to the door.

Hermione opened up the guide that had a map of the town. "It looks like the store is over in that area she said pointing." She put the book back in the bag and started walking ahead of Sirius. He followed. Why were all men like that? She wondered. They always looked at the superficial things; their chest and their ass. It was so annoying. Why didn't men care about brains? God, she was so angry and it came out of nowhere. She didn't understand it. Neither of them said anything while they walked to the store and their shopping trip was much the same. She gave him half of the list and she took the other. They met in the middle and then split the bill upon checking out. Both of them took the same amount of bags and began heading home.

XXXXX

Sirius followed behind Hermione as she lugged her shopping bags. He knew she was upset with him, but he couldn't figure out why. This was the problem with women. If men had a problem they would duel. The winner is the winner and the looser is the looser. Once the duel was over the problem was solved and they moved on with their lives. Women, on the other hand, once they got mad you just let them get over it.

But he hated her being mad at him. He wanted to be some sort of solace for her. He wanted to be her friend and the person that was there for her when she went through the ups and downs of her ruined life. He knew she was not only mad at him, but at everything. "Er… Hermione?" He said trying to catch up with her. She began walking faster. "Did I do something wrong?" He yelled at her. Again she said nothing just stomped her way into their house and put her bags on the table. He was getting annoyed, but he followed her into the house and silently they put the things away. When they finished she went to her bed and flopped down opening up a book.

Sirius could tell she was radiating anger and he smiled. He walked over to her and threw her wand on her lap, "outside, now!" He said looking at her.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She asked looking at him.

"The best thing to do when you are angry is to fight it out."

"No, Sirius." She responded turning a page in her book.

"Yes, Hermione. I challenge you to a duel. Right NOW!" He said raising an eyebrow.

"Duels are childish, Sirius, I refuse to be involved in one." She responded.

"Well, Hermione, you are acting like a child right now, pouting about god knows what! Since they are so childish and you are acting like a child. How about we go at it?" He challenged. He knew he was pissing her off more, and he didn't care. He was older and wiser and knew what she needed without her even knowing it. She needed to let a lot out, and he was more than willing to be her punching bag. It would only be worse if she kept it all bottled up. "Now, Hermione!" He demanded walking out of the house.

He waited for her, and she slowly emerged. Her face was as cold as stone and she was walking like she could breathe fire and burn him. She walked right to him and got in his face. "You want it, you got it." She said.

"On the count of three." He said with a grin. "Normal dueling rules, no unforgivable; I am not in the mood to die." He said. She turned as did he. He began counting, "one… two… thr…"

"Petrificus Totalus." She shouted even before he said three. He blocked it. "Immobulus…" She shouted… He deflected it. "Expelliarmus." She said sending another spell his way.

"Those are not going to work, Hermione." He said taunting her. "Why are you holding back?" He yelled as she began circling him.

"Furnunculus." She shouted so fast he had to jump out of the way to dodge it.

"Densaugeo." He shouted back knowing that spell would create a bigger furry in her. There was no way she was going to want her teeth to regrow.

"Conjunctivitis." She shouted and hit him square in the face.

"Fuck that hurts!" He screamed trying to think of a reversal spell. It felt like his brain was exploding.

"Locomotor Mortis." She yelled; he did not know what direction it was coming from so there was no way to dodge it, and his head was pounding, he could not create a clear enough thought to block it. He fell to the ground. "Rictusempra." She shouted and he burst out laughing feeling like he was being tickled on every inch of his body. As he struggled trying to figure out a way to stop the spells that were attacking him he felt the ground fall from under him and all the blood rush to his head. "Impervius." She shouted; his body became bound. He was trapped. He had no way he could stop or block her. "Immobulus, confundus, furnunculus…" One after another she sent spells in his direction and he let them come.

He knew the moment that she broke even without him seeing her. She began sobbing and she dropped her wand, he heard it fall; he braced himself for what was coming next. Her fist hit his face as she roared, "I HATE YOU!" One after another, blows hit his body as she bellowed out insults, her pain and her frustration. He knew she was sobbing uncontrollably, she was struggling to get air, and still she fought, yelled and cried. He had no idea how long it continued, but he let it happen. And then finally as abruptly as it started she crumbled to the soft sand.

"Finite." Sirius said holding his wand. Slowly he began removing the spells she cast on him. He landed on the sand and walked over to her. She was shaking, sobbing and muttering things under her breath. He tried touching her. She jerked out of his way. He tried again, and again she moved.

"Hermione, darling. It will be alright." He said trying to comfort her now. He touched her again and she let him. He didn't do anything special just moved her hair out of her face and somewhat cradled her head as she cried. "It is alright to feel things, Hermione. You don't have to keep it bottled up. And I have a feeling that you let out a lot more than just things as of late." He said remembering back to some of the things she shouted.

"I… Don't know… What took over…" She said sobbing.

"Anger, Hermione. How long have you been mad at your parents? What about Dumbledore? Who is Agnes Buchard?" He asked. She said nothing just looked off into the ocean. They stayed like that for the longest time; him touching her hair softly and she just watching the wave's crash against the shore. It was peaceful and Sirius felt like he actually did a good deed. In order to rebuild something, it had to be broken first.


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I know it is boring reading these... But I do not own the characters in my story. They are JKR. **

**A/N: I had many more good reviews for my story and many more people like the story! It really makes me want to just write all day... Which I did yesterday... I worked on Chapter 13 which is one that I am sure you all have been waiting for since you found out this was Hermione/Sirius! I spent 5 hours on it... Why am I telling you all this? Because, I want you to know that I enjoy writing for you and your reading pleasure, and I work hard doing it. **

**As for chapter 6... It is time to take a look at how Sirius feels about his life... **

**I am still looking for a Beta... If you know one let me know... And please read and review! I want to know what you all think! **

**HAPPY READING!**

**Aftermath: Chapter 6**

"Dinner is ready, Sirius." Hermione yelled as she finished setting the fish on the table. They were sitting on the back deck to eat tonight. Sirius walked out of the back of the house, for the past half hour he had been in the bathroom cleaning out his cuts and scrapes. She looked at him as he walked out on the deck. One of his eyes was completely swollen shut; the other had a deep black rim around it. There were a few cuts on his face and she was sure that the rest of his body matched. "Sirius, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to go psycho on you." She said for the hundredth time.

He smiled and raised his hand to cut her off. "I told you I was okay with it. I've had much worse." He said pulling out her chair, she sat. "How are your knuckles?" He asked.

She looked down at her hand and saw the small pink marks on her hand that marked the cut up knuckles she received during her little rant. A few simple spells and the knuckles began healing themselves. She offered to do the same to Sirius, but he declined. "Are you sure you are okay?" She asked again as he began pouring the drinks. She placed a serving of salad on his plate.

"Hermione I am fine. They don't hurt and I brought it on myself." He said looking at her. She stuck her fork in the greens and began eating. They were silent as they ate and she thought about the kind way he helped her walk into the house and helped her wash out her knuckles. He even let her shower first and change while he waited in the kitchen. They said little to each other, and she thought he was mad at her. She still worried that he was as he looked at her from across the table.

"Why, Sirius?" She asked.

"Why what?"

"Why did you do it? I know you are more skilled at dueling than that." She responded. She watched as he finished his drink and his food. She plated them both some fish and rice.

"I just realized some things and thought I would help you out." He responded. He was being cryptic. She didn't like it.

"Could you please deliberate?" She asked nicely.

"Hermione, I know that you are hurting right now…" She cut him off.

"No, I am not Sirius. I am actually wonderful. I love it here. What is not to love, there are so many things to see and do? I cannot wait to do them all." She said smiling.

"Hermione, don't lie to me. I am very good at reading people."

"I told you Sirius Black, I don't want you feeling sorry for me." She responded in a sharp tone.

"Hermione, I am not feeling sorry for you. I just know that you are not as put together as you are letting on. I am great at reading people; it was a specialty of mine when I was in The Order of the Phoenix. I could tell when someone was bull shitting me." He cleared his throat and looked deep into her eyes. She could tell he was reading her innermost thoughts and feelings without applying any type of magic.

"Shit." She sighed. She did really suck at lying.

"I know now that your hurt but your anger is directed at much more than Ron, Harry, Ginny or anything that happened to you in the past day or so. It's so much deeper than that. You don't always have to be brave, Hermione, yes it is a trait of Gryffindor, but you are no longer at Hogwarts. It is time to move past those early preconceived notions of who we have to be, how we have to act, and what the wizarding world thinks of us based on the houses we were sorted into when we were 11. It is alright to feel things, don't keep it bottled all up inside.

"If you do you will get so wrapped up in suppressing those feelings that you will begin to build walls around yourself and start ostracizing people. You will begin to lose yourself. Trust me I know. While in Azkaban my only thoughts were of revenge and getting back at Wormtail, it kept me sane and human enough, but after I was free and on the run, it was hard for me to re-find myself. Now, I find it almost impossible to let people get close to me, and when they are too close I do things to push them away."

Hermione thought about what he was saying and she understood it. He was very timid, just being by him for a few hours today she could tell he felt uncomfortable in his own skin. They talked about so much but her only impression she got was that he cared very deeply about their friends; new and old, but she questioned if his body was able to love them; love them as a brother, friend, son, lover?

She thought about what he was saying about her building walls. How long had she been doing it? Was living inside those walls her destiny? Was she supposed to create them to protect herself from feeling things for other people? Was she going to have so much anger in her heart that it might prevent her one day from getting a happily ever after? She was still harboring anger towards Agnes Buchard. How long ago was that? Fifteen years? Was she going to let Ron and the others have that much control over her life that she lost who she was? The answer was simple and one she did not have to think about, it was NO! A big fat HELL NO! But how could she start repairing the damage that was created? Damage that went back to that scared little girl getting bullied by Agnes in grade school because she had big teeth and bushy hair.

"How Sirius?" She asked looking into his grey eyes. "How am I supposed to let the anger out? Should I smash things? Scream and yell more? Should I go and see a shrink? Should I make you my personal punching bag and continue to beat the hell out of you?" She asked him.

Sirius laughed at her. "No, Hermione. You don't have to do any of that. Sometimes the best medicine is to talk. Talk to me, our dinner, the fish in the ocean or even a tree. When something or someone pisses you off let them know. When you are hurt let the person know. From this moment on let everything go. Let it fall off your shoulder and just roll with the punches. Who here is going to hurt you? It is only me and you! I can assure you I will not step in your path the wrong way again." He said with a chuckle. "Maybe you should even take some time and write in a journal or something. It might sound silly and childish, but I do it. Every night before bed, I take a few moments and write down my thoughts. It helps me more than you know. It makes me feel human." He added. She knew he was sharing something very private with her and she smiled. She thought about it. What harm could come from writing in a journal? Nothing really. It is not like anyone would have to read it or see it and if it helps her deal with her emotions she was all for it.

"I guess I could try that. It might prove to be beneficial." She added.

"Good girl. I think that it would really help you." He said as he began eating his now cold dinner. For a long time the only sound was their cutlery scraping the plates or their glasses being placed back on the table.

"It was hard adjusting, Hermione." He said. She looked at him dumbfounded. She had no idea what he was talking about. He kept his eyes on his plate as he continued.

"If someone decided to write a book about my life they would never be able to fully grasp the torture of it. I was born into a family I would've never picked. I hated their pure-blood ways and the way they would pound into my head how we were better than half-blood or mudbloods. I never understood how anyone could turn against their own kind. Magic was magic, I thought, no matter someone origins. But my parents were the opposite of that, even my brother. I knew that they hated me, I never thought of them as family and I had no friends, unless you call Bella my friend, her or Cissy. Everyone around me hated me. It was hell.

"I decided very young that I was going to become a great wizard and change the world. When I went to Hogwarts and was sorted in Gryffindor, my family disowned me, I was ecstatic. And then meeting James, Remus and Peter; I cannot compare anything to the way they made me feel. It was magical. We were brothers, and we did brother type things, which include getting into trouble. But I studied hard; harder than any one of them. I was the first one up in the morning and the last one to bed. I did my work and I was a great student. I was shy but I fell in love with a beautiful Ravenclaw student; Damzella O'Keef. She was smart, funny, and liked me for me." He stopped there, getting lost in his memories. It was a while before he continued.

"I met her in fourth year and we began seeing each other in our fifth. James was getting serious with Lily and Remus had a flavor of the week I guess. Peter was the only one without a girl, but he was still happy to follow us when we went out on dates. Well, towards the end of fifth year I was out late running around as padfoot when I saw her out on the docks with another Ravenclaw. To make a long story short, I was some sort of joke to them." He finished off his drink and poured him more, then refreshed Hermione's glass.

"James would frequently mock and ridicule him, Damzella's real boyfriend. He had one person from each house that he made his target; Severus Snape from Slytherin, Roger Fairbankes from Hufflepuff, and Terence Jones from Ravenclaw. I guess they figured they could break us down from the inside. Well, news for them, I never told anyone. I broke it off with her the next day before she could embarrass me in front of the school." He sighed and finished his drink. She had a feeling she was the first person he was telling this too.

"After that I threw myself into school, studied hard and did all that I could to get Outstanding results. While James and Remus were out with their ladies, I was studying with Peter. It was not the most ideal of situations, but it worked. Once I graduated I went right into the Order. I loved working there. Mad-Eye trained me, like he did with so many others. It was wonderful, and probably the only time in my life where I actually felt like I was doing something productive.

"Then things went downhill fast. And before I knew it I was trapped in Azakaban." He grew grave and silent. She reached out and held his hand. It was a small gesture, but she liked to think it offered him some comfort. "I have no words to describe how it was being surrounded by creatures that took away the good in your soul, and made you relive your worst mistakes. I discovered early that being in my animagus form protected me from their feedings. But it was not like I had happy thoughts during the time I was in that form. I was filled with hatred and anger towards Wormtail. I wanted him dead, and when I saw him in the picture with Ron, well, I knew that I had to break out.

"The first thing I wanted to do was find Harry and see how he had grown and changed. I was his godfather still but I had not been that much of a godfather. With all of my newfound freedom I didn't know what to do with it. I was a wanted man, my living conditions were worse than Azakaban; mostly living in the filth of a cave with a dirt bed, but by that time I was mad. I lost myself in it. It was some crazy shit. After our time in the Shrieking Shack and you saving me, I traveled for a year visiting different places and seeing some wonderful sights. Then I settled in the one place I hated but knew I was safe, Grimmauld Place. When the new Order was there, all of you guys, I started feeling human again, but that lasted such a short time.

"Before I knew it I was dying and back in dingy caves. I hated myself and my life. I wanted normalcy, something human. I finally got close to that in Spain over the past year. But I was still missing so many human emotions. I guess to sum it up; being me is not all that is was cracked up to be. I know that I am somewhat a ledged at Hogwarts now, but not for how I would prefer to be remembered. I cannot recall one moment in my life where I was actually happy to be me. Not one. And in all honesty I am one fucked up creature; more doglike and less human. I guess I've had no reason to actually be human. "He said finishing off his drink. "I don't want to see the same thing happen to you Hermione. You are too much of a special person to lose yourself. I would do anything to help you." His eyes burned into hers and she could see the twinkle of tears. "Anything, Hermione."

She had no idea what to do or say. She wanted to comfort him. She wanted to make him promises of a better future and life. She wanted to apologize to him for every bad deed that was forced upon him. She wanted to die just so she could kick James Potter's ass. Most of all she wanted to give him some sort of human emotion that would make his life worth living. But she knew her actions would be rejected. It was the kind of man Sirius was. He needed to be broken too and put back together. They were one hell of a hot mess. She got up from the table and walked over to him. She gave him a quick hug and then smiled, "thank you Sirius. The trust you have in me… I have no words for." She responded.

"Thank you Hermione for taking the time to care." He said hugging her back. She went back to her chair and they finished their dinner. They cleaned up the muggle way; he washed she dried. When finished Hermione checked the time, it was almost eleven at night, strangely she was not tired.

Hermione smiled as she put the last of the dishes away. It was normal. Something she knew she wanted and something she recently realized he needed. Once they finished he looked at her "I think that after this long and exhausting day, I am going to head off to bed. I hate to be the old guy around here, but hey, that happens if you lucky."

Hermione knew exactly what he meant. She always heard that muggle saying, 'one day if you're lucky you might grow old too;' it was one of her grandfather's favorite, and she never understood it. But after looking death in the face over and over for the past ten years, she realized now how someone could be lucky to grow old. No matter what their age was humankind can't put a value on life unless they've faced death. She hoped now that she might be one of the lucky few that got a chance to grow old.

"That's alright Sirius. I know that we both are a bit emotionally drained. Goodnight." She said with a smile.

"Are you going to bed?" He asked.

"Shortly, yes." She smiled. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Hermione." He responded with a smile looking into her eyes. "I'll see you in the morning. I'll cook breakfast." He said with a wink.

"Sounds good to me," she responded. She watched him walk through the door that led to the back of the house. She waited to hear the door to his room close and then she went to her dresser. In the top drawer she pulled out one of her bikinis. She owned five of them, a burgundy and gold one, a dark emerald green one, a jeweled purple one, a dark navy one and then a regular gold one. She took out the gold one and quickly changed into it. It was by far her favorite of the five; it was made from a silky gold material and had gold loops on the sides.

She took one of the towels from the foot of the bed and walked outside. She left the front door opened and with her wand she lit the tiki torches; a soft glow emanated from them and caressed her skin as she walked out to the water. She did not break pace as the water began licking her toes; she kept walking into the water until the warm night water dances around her chest. She sighed and felt her body relaxing. Around her she heard the animals that prowled during the night and smelt the flowers that blossomed under the spell of the moon. It was magical. She wrapped her hands tight around her chest as if she was trying to keep herself together and then with a deep breath she dove under the water.

XXXXX

Sirius rolled over in his bed for the fifth time. He was restless and couldn't sleep. His body was sore from the beating Hermione gave him, but that was not what bothered him. His head was bothering him. His mind and thoughts were bothering him. He had no idea why he opened up to Hermione, and that scared him. He never shared any of those things with any other soul in the world. What made her different? What made Hermione different? He flopped over again. Was it too hot in here? He looked at the window and it was open; a cool breeze flowing in.

It was too hot here. He thought, kicking off the blankets that covered him. He was sleeping in a simple pair of pajamas that he picked up in town. The pants were dark red with stripes and the shirt was black. His feet were bare. Even after he kicked the blankets off; he felt too hot. With one fluid motion he peeled off the shirt and threw it on the floor. He laid back on the pillows, closed his eyes and waited… And waiting… And waited… He could not sleep.

His mind was racing back to the thoughts of the day. He had never had such an interesting and insightful on; that made him uneasy. He was pissed at everyone back in London, and fuming that Harry hung up on him… Sometimes he was more like his father than he realized. James had the ability to be just as cruel. For the life of him he could not understand why Harry would've allowed Ron to cheat. He partially blamed himself. Maybe if he remained the secret keeper of James and Lily then they would still be alive and they would have raised Harry right. He hit his palm on his face. "UGH! WHY DID I LET WORMTAIL BE THE SECRET KEEPER?" He yelled, forgetting for a moment where he was. He waited and listened to see if Hermione heard.

The house was strangely silent. There were no sounds. No gentle snoring or mumbling, no pages in a book turning or a quill scratching parchment. He had a strange feeling that Hermione was no longer in the house. A pang of worried shot through his heart. What if something happened to her? Quickly and quietly he got out of bed and walked to the door. He opened it and walked by the bathroom, no light, no sound. She was not in there. He walked to the door that separated his room and the bathroom room from the rest of the house, he rasped on it, "Hermione?" he asked. There was no answer. He pushed it open shielding his eyes in case she was not decent. "Hermione? Are you okay?" He asked, again no response. He looked around the room and quickly noticed that she was not there. The front door was opened and the tiki torches were glowing in the front. He could hear the splashing of the water. She was swimming.

Thinking to himself that he was just going to check on her, he slipped out the side doors and walked along the tree line. The breeze was cool and smelled like coconut and pineapple. He liked the way it blew his hair. The sand between his toes felt splendid; the sand was clean, as mad as it might've sounded being dirt and all, it felt clean, untouched. He inched closer to the front of the bungalow and peered around the corner, his heart began to drum in his chest and he found it hard to breathe, if some would've asked him something he would've found it hard to form the words to answer.

Hermione was beautiful in the pale moonlight. The way her body moved with the waves; it was mesmerizing. Her body was pale, but it was already getting a soft kissed tan, and it was barely covered with a golden bikini, which fit her like a second skin. Every time she emerged from the water her long wavy hair clung to her shoulders and chest.

He was not being perverted or anything, even though it might seem that way. Sirius Black understood and appreciated beauty when he saw it. If he was an artist he would have tried to paint the scene, if he was a poet he would've tried to create a sonnet, if he was a musician he would've tried to compose a masterpiece, being none of the three he stood there and drank in the scene. She was a muse and had a way of changing a man with just one look. That Ronald Weasley was one stupid man. Sirius took one last glance and snuck back into the house. This time when he crawled into bed he had no problem falling asleep.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Not my characters, just my ideas. JRK owns everything!**

**A/N: I take it many people enjoyed the last chapter. I got a few reviews that wanted a new update soon, and a few that even said they loved the story. You guy's have no idea what that means to me! I love all of you!**

**This chapter is shorter than previous ones. I was planning on going ahead and jumping 3 months into the future between chapters 6 and 7, but I decided to put in this chapter here, which is just some journal entries, and her internal thoughts to kinda fill the gaps from the time Sirius found Hermione to 3 months in the future. I really need to move along the chapters to move along the story... So I added in a filler to fill the gaps. The next chapter will give you guys more of a look into Hermione and Sirius' normal lives... Then the story is going to be picking up fast over the next few chapters. You all will finally get a look at the lives of everyone back in London soon! **

**Still looking for a Beta! **

**And... HAPPY READING!... Don't forget the review.**

**Aftermath: Chapter 7**

(A Week Later)

Hermione sighed as she took out the blank journal; it was Sirius' idea to start getting her thoughts down on paper. He was concerned with the anger she was keeping pent up, she really did not care. It was easier for her to suppress her feelings then letting them out. She lost it that one time with Sirius and every day for the past week she has felt horrible about it. By now most of the cuts were healed, and the bruises were pale, but she remembered every mark she put on him. Because of that she decided to follow his advice and begin journaling her thoughts. She really hoped it helped.

She looked at the brown bound book lying in her lap. Her bedside lamp was on and she had a fresh quill and ink well to her right. She felt sick and a bit lightheaded, but she knew she had to do it. Being very careful she opened the ink well and dipped her quill into the black ooze. In her curly neat scrawl she began filling the white page with her tiny script.

**June 15th, 2002**

Today was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, one that I had been looking forward to for half of my life. Today I was supposed to marry Ronald Weasley, one of my best friends. Sadly, that has not happened. A week ago yesterday I was told by Ron that he had been cheating on me for the last two years of our lives together, and with Luna Lovegood, nonetheless. I was such a fool and an idiot to believe that I deserved something as precious as the love of a man. I am Hermione Granger, I measure my life by the books I read and the knowledge I gain. Not by the love of a man, a family, friends, or even children. I am so angry that he made a fool of me. As for my friends; how could they have know and not tell me. So much for loyalty. Funny though, I always thought being a Gryffindor meant you were loyal to those around you, I guess not; seeing as the Weasleys and Harry were all Gryffindors. I guess Sirius was right; I cannot live my life based on the preconceived notions of the houses at Hogwarts.

I hate them all for the pain they are causing me. I hate Ron the most. I don't think I could ever look at him again, or even hear his voice. My heart is broken and I don't think it can be repaired. I don't think I could ever trust another guy, because I never considered that the two most important men in my life could have the balls to hurt me so much.

Tonight I should have been on my honeymoon with Ron in Australia. I did have my own doubts about the wedding, and who knows what might have happened last week in my apartment if things would have gone different. Maybe if he was not cheating on me, we could have talked about my feelings and he in that special way of his could have reassured me. Things could have gone so very different and right at this very moment we probably would have been wrapped in each other's arms making love and I would have been Mrs. Hermione Jean Granger-Weasley. Who would've known what might have been. I cannot dwell in the past and the maybes. I need to move on and live in my new, yet unusual life now.

**June 22nd, 2002**

I've decided not to write my thoughts down every night or every other night; I think that once a week would be best. Sirius said he has been doing the same. Harry called Sirius tonight, he has been doing that a lot, but Sirius has been sending it to voicemail. He left the massage saying that they have decided to stop looking for me. I guess they have figured out that I don't want to be found. I've been trying not to think about Ron, and Harry of Ginny. It is easier said than done. It feels like I've lost all of my best friends. I've never felt this lonely before. Sirius is great, he helps feel the void a bit, but sometimes I just want someone to talk to. What would I give to be able to go and run to Ginny, curl up in her small lap and cry away all the pain?

And Harry, he was never good with dealing with emotional crap, but he knew how to be there for me. I remember when Ron was with that twit Lavender. It hurt her so bad walking in on them snogging. How could one man be so daft that he could not see what was right in front of his face. Harry was there for me. He always was. Just like when he and Ron were at odds during fourth year, I was there for Harry. I knew Harry did not put his name in that cup, I knew it was all a trick. Ron was always jealous of Harry, but Harry never asked to be the boy who lived.

Maybe I should have realized it when we were looking for Voldemort that Ron was the kind that loved them and left them. He did run out on us when things got too tough. Of course the necklace had a lot to do with it, but still he should have known better. Again how can one guy be so daft? I don't think that Ronald was ever the right guy for me. But it seemed like the right thing to do. We did love each other. Maybe I loved him more. I never cheated on him. It never even crossed my mind. I never could give up on eight years of love and friendship when faced with one rejection. I didn't even reject the proposal; I just wanted a long engagement. Am I not special enough, or good enough, or worth enough to wait two years?

**July 3rd, 2002**

Today I went back to London to visit with my parents. It was a hard decision to make, but I did it. I knew that they missed me and were worried, of course. The begged me to come home and stay in my old room. But I am not that Hermione anymore. I am not that innocent school girl. My world was turned upside down and I was damaged by Ron. All of the times I faced Voldemort I thought life couldn't get any harder than putting it on the line to help Harry. Fuck, how I was mistaken.

They told me that Molly and Arthur cancelled all of the wedding plans. They also mentioned how Ron had been stopping by on Thursday night to visit them. It seems that he had some hopes that I might return home. It also seems that he has hopes of us getting back together. How dare he? They are my parents not his. They are the only family I have. He has that wonderful family filled with all of that love and he thinks he still has the right to visit my parents and have tea with them.

Even with me being so far away he is still hurting me, taking things away from me. First the life I long dreamed of with marriage and children, my trust, my friends, and the love I had for everyone, and now MY parents. How dare they think I can just forget about his cheating on me with my friend, and come back to London to try to fix our relationship? I cannot believe they would even consider that? Here I thought that I was going to get support from them… Nope, that didn't go as planned. I'm beginning to think that besides Sirius, I have no one that is on my side, and that hurts.

I wished that I had enough courage to tell my parents off then and there. But I couldn't. I smiled, gave them both a hug, told them I loved them, came home, locked myself in the bathroom and cried for hours. Sirius was worried, and he still is. He told me that I've been having nightmares at night. I cannot remember them, but he says they are pretty intense.

**July 26th, 2002**

I got yelled at today by my roommate, Sirius because I stopped writing in here. I guess I've not wanted to. I find it pointless. I mean if my own parents cannot see the pain that I'm in and the pain that Ron caused, what the sense is writing in here. I really don't get it. I don't understand my life and I thought by getting away it would get better, but that is not the case. Sirius fears I am getting worse. I've not been eating that much and I've been getting sick in the morning, all I want to do is sleep and I fall asleep at random times during the day. He thinks I am depressed and that I need to see a doctor. I think that I have all right to be depressed. My life was yanked apart around me, and surprisingly there was nothing I could do to stop it. What was the sense of studying so hard and being a top student when nothing I learned could help me get out of the hole I fell into?

**August 6th, 2002**

I ran into Mindy today, the wonderful lady that sold me this house. We both went to the local café and had coffee together. We have a lot in common. We like some of the same books, we have the same style, and we both are highly intelligent. It felt normal to have coffee with someone. Sirius is such a good friend, but I feel that he looks at me like I am fragile and about to break. Mindy was a breath of fresh air. We decided to go ahead and have lunch together every Tuesday. I guess I only have another week to wait until I can have some fresh air again.

I still don't like her attraction to Sirius, but he says that when Mindy and I go out together, he would stay around the house and work on things. I don't know what kind of things he is talking about. But then again, a man's mind is nothing something easily understood by women. I just hope that Mindy is not using me to get closer to Sirius. I usually am a good judge of character, but my perception has been off since all of the crap went down back in London.

**August 20th, 2002**

I'm still getting sick, and I am still sleeping all hours of the day. It is starting to worry me. I am feeling better emotionally. I talked to Sirius about him treating me like a fragile doll. He understands and we have started back up our magic sessions after dinner and before bed. I am working on a potion that came into my mind one night last week. Sirius and I were going on a walk before bed and the oddest sensation overcame me. Some random mixture of the smell of the night blooming flowers, the trees, and the sunset, laughing at a joke Sirius said; it all made my heart relax. It felt like all of my pain and despair just floated away in the breeze… It was magical and now I am trying to figure out a way to bottle that relief. It was kind of like an antidepressant. I needed it.

The moment was magical in itself too. Sirius and I were just walking in the warm sand, he was holding my hand like he always did and we were just talking and joking around. God, it felt good to laugh again and mean it. I still hate Ron, and I still hold a lot of anger towards Ginny, Harry and everyone else. But I feel that I am ready to reenter into society somehow. I want to be back in the world of magic. I want to find parts of the old Hermione and paste them into my new life.

**August 27th, 2002**

I had a wonderful lunch with Mindy today and she brought something to my attention. She mentioned that she noticed I was spending a lot of time with Sirius. She asked me if anything was going on between the two of us. I tried explaining to her that we were just great friends, I doubt that she believe me. But it got me to thinking about how we look on the outside to people. Sirius and I spend all of our time together, we go to dinner at night together, and we do activities together, for heaven sakes we live together.

Could we possible become more than just friends and roommates? Is there anything more that has been happening between us that neither of us is catching? I have no idea and I cannot tell. I suck at relationship; I am not the type of girl that can easily put on slinky clothing and come onto a guy. Call me old fashioned but I think that a guy should come onto the girl. He should make the first move, shouldn't he?

**September 7th, 2002**

I thought today that I might feel more fulfilled if I found a job. I've always been a hard worker and I thought that maybe if I found something, even if it was part time, that I might be able to get back somewhat to my old self. I feel like I am being too lazy… All Sirius and I do is lounge around the house and town looking for something to do. We are getting bored easier now. I would prefer to find some sort of job that dealt with magic, but I don't know where to start looking. I know that there are witches and wizards all around the world, but I never really came across any wizarding schools based in Madagascar. So I did the only thing I could think of and I sent a letter to the Daily Prophet. I asked them if I could start getting daily editions of the Prophet so I can see if there are any jobs I can do through the mail. I hope to get my first edition today or tomorrow. I don't need the money; I just want to feel like I am doing something worthwhile.

**September 17th, 2002**

_Help Wanted: Potion Masters seeking help with concocting and creating commonly used and new potions. Must be well skilled in potion making with preferred university training. Locations does not matter since minimal human contact will be used. If interested please send an Owl to: 148 Hollows End, London England. Please include your name, form of contact and enclose an original potion creation. Must be willing to work long, hard hours and meet short deadlines. _

I've been searching through the Daily Prophet every day for the past week and a half. This is the only one that has sparked my interest. I sent in a response using the name HJG and my current address in Madagascar. The enclosed the original potion I've been working on with Sirius at night, the one that is almost like an antidepressant, I've called it, Mangainy or The Beautiful Life…

Along with the name and the potion itself I attached the following description: Mangainy is a combination of the words; the (ny), beautiful (manga) and life (aina) in Malagasy, the used language in Madagascar where I got the inspiration to make this potion. Mangainy is a potion that once taken allows the drinker to see the good or beautiful aspects of their life and not the negative. This potion would be a great treatment for those that suffer from depression in the wizarding world. Unlike the Elixir to Induce Euphoria or other 'Happy Potions' it does not make the drinker forget their problems all together, but shows them that there are things worth living for.

I am very excited about the prospect of finding a job and also getting this potion out there. I really feel that it can be helpful to many, many people.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own these characters JKR does...**

**A/N: I am so THRILLED that you all enjoyed the last chapter with the Journal Entries... I might used that idea again in a later chapter... Just to move it along again! I loved the Reviews I got from you all! I enjoyed reading them so much and they kept me grinning. **

**Sadly for me, I am almost at the end of writing this story... I am on Chapter 16 right now with writing, and I see it going on for about 6 more chapters which means I will probably be finished with this by the weekend. So now I WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU WANT NEXT! I want your ideas for a story. I have a few I am tossing around with Hermione/Sirius but since you are such dedicated readers I want your ideas and I just might use them. So post a review with you next story idea... I promise to give you credit for the idea... **

**Happy Reading... Remember to review... And don't forget that chapter 10 will take you all back to London! **

**Aftermath: Chapter 8**

Ooh no, not again. Hermione thought as she jerked awake in her sleep. She bounded off her bed and ran to the bathroom. Once in there she went right to the toilet and began puking her guts out. "Fuck," she sighed while retching up her dinner from the night before. She heard a knock at the door. It was Sirius of course.

"'Hermione, sweetheart, are you alright?" He asked. She continued vomiting up her jerk chicken and rice. "Hermione?" He asked again. She tried clearing her throat. Spicy food never agreed with her before, she had no idea why she was eating it now. It seemed like every time she ate spicy food she was vomiting in the morning.

"I'm alright, Sirius." She sighed. "I should've stayed away from the chicken last night." She said.

"Maybe you should see the town's doctor. It could be acid reflux or something that he can give you some medication for." He said through the door.

She felt a bit better, her stomach settled. She got up, flushed the toilet and went to the sink. She really did not want to think she was sick. She was enjoying her new life with Sirius on Madagascar. They actually adapted to each other well. He was extremely smart himself, and she enjoyed sitting at night, while eating dinner, and talking about wizarding laws; what was right, wrong and what needed to be fixed. Sometimes they talked about Hogwarts, or about Dumbledore, he shared stories about the adventures he had with James and Remus. Man, if Hermione thought Harry, Ron and her got in trouble a lot it was nothing compared to how much trouble the three of them got into. Every night at dinner, he almost had her doubled over from laughing to hard.

Hermione splashed some water on her face and began brushing her teeth. She knew that Sirius was right about seeing a doctor, but she didn't feel comfortable going to a local doctor. After all, she might not have a normal ailment. She sighed as put her tooth brush back. If she was back in London she could go to Saint Mungo's, but she was not in London and there was no way she was going to risk even going back there. She was sure someone she knew from school worked there, maybe even more than one. If only she studied more medical magic during her time in the university.

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. She was surprised by what she saw. Her skin was tanned from all of her time out in the sun. The bags that were a permanent fixture on her since her first year at Hogwarts were gone. She even put on a little weight; she actually had nice curves now. Wait a minute; she actually looked like a woman. Not being prideful at all, but she liked how she looked now. She had not dressed in a wizarding robe in years; she was all out of the pants, and skirts with pastel or gray-scale colored tops, and sensible shoes. Her closet was filled with maxi dresses in colorful prints and designs. She even wore makeup now, nothing gaudy looking but something that accentuated her beauty. Her hair was no longer bushy, but wavy; Sirius gave her a great tip on a spell that would take away the frizz and leave a soft wave and curl.

Her heart was not as broken as it once was. Actually, her heart was no longer broken; as impossible as she thought it might have been three or four months ago. She would never fully get over Ron's betrayal, or the secret that her friends kept from her, but she understood why they did it. Sometimes people do stupid things to protect those they care about. She could not blame her friends for being stupid. But, she still felt like they made a food of her. She knew that feeling would remain for a while. She could see now that Ron simply fell out of love with her. Maybe he never loved her as more than a friend. There was an extreme amount of pressure by everyone; they expected them to be like Harry and Ginny, get married out of school and start their family. Well, Hermione was not that girl, and everyone knew that. She was not going to sacrifice something she wanted, only to regret it later on down the road. Unreasonable expectations were partially to blame for the whole mess; Ron was the other.

With another sigh she walked out the bathroom and into the kitchen. Sirius was there holding out a glass of ginger ale and some burnt toast; it was the only thing that settled her stomach when she had a rough morning. She accepted the food and sat down. Sirius took great care of her. She looked at him as more like a family figure, a brother or father she guessed, rather than a friend. She really could not classify her feelings for him, and she didn't want to. She didn't need to give him a title to know she cared for him. She smiled, "thanks, Sirius." She said drinking the ale. He sat across from her with a serious look on his face. She knew what was coming.

"Hermione, I think that you should go and see a doctor, and don't say you can't."

"Sirius, I can't. I don't want to go and see the muggle doctor here, and I don't want to go to Saint Mungo's." She began munching on her toast.

"Why don't you want to see the muggle doctor?" He asked.

She swallowed the mouth of toast and sighed. "What if I am sick, but sick with something that is more magical than the common cold?" She said.

He began to laugh. "For you being one of the smartest people I know, you can be quite daft sometimes." He pulled out his wand and waved it. "Are you forgetting that we have wands? If he cannot diagnose what you have, we wipe away the memories and begin looking for another magical facility somewhere besides London." He responded.

She could not argue with logic. She was a witch and a memory spell was quite simple. She ate her food not wanting to give into him. She felt like a little kid that was outsmarted by someone bigger than her. She stared at him as she ate the last of her toast. She wiped her mouth and drank the rest of her ale. After that she took her dishes to the sink and washed them. She could tell by the stern look on his face that he knew of the game she was playing, but she said nothing. They found out early that it is not smart to argue with someone that is equally stubborn and pigheaded as you were.

"Fine, I will go and see him, only if he has time for me." She said.

"You have an appointment at ten. I called him while you were in the bathroom. His receptionist said you should arrive early to fill out the paper work and medical history."

"I cannot believe you, Sirius! You have no right calling and setting up an appointment before I even decided to make one." She snarled.

"Hermione, you can be mad at me, but you are sick. I am worried! You will go even if I have to drag you there. Now go and dress." He snarled back. "And don't you dare try to get out of it."

It was times like this she thought of him as more like a father. He acted just like one; bossing her around, setting up appointments for her without even asking. Sometimes he made her so angry. Who was he to run her life for her? Like a child, she stomped over to her dresser and pulled out something to wear. Then she stomped her way to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

XXXXX

Sirius watched as she stomped away and he suppressed a chuckle. Most of the time she acted like she was older and wiser beyond her years, and then sometimes he saw children behave better than she did. And like he said to her, sometimes she could be so daft. She really had no idea how happy he was to be settled down and living her with her. Yes, there were times when they fought, but that was mostly due to their own opinions and beliefs. He was twice her age after all. He knew with things he was totally old school, whereas Hermione always thought of the future and how it would change. It was refreshing to be around her sometimes and at others it was bloody annoying!

He snickered when he heard her slam the door. Hermione was logical, and he knew that she would not argue with logic. He knew that was her weakness and he played to it. Hermione always thought with her head and nothing else. Which is what got her in the predicament with Ron. It was the logical thing to do. It was the easy thing to do. It was the thing that would give her what she wanted without having to be fully committed to it. It worked. But what Hermione really needed was someone that could challenge her; mentally, physical, and emotionally. Ron could not do any of the three. What Hermione needed was the anti-Ron, the complete and utter opposite. If only she could see that.

Sirius put his coffee mug in the sink and walked to his room. It was smaller than the other areas in the house, but bigger than the room he had at the hotel in Spain. He spent some of his hard earned money on buying a new wardrobe and a few odds and ends to make his room more his and not the one Hermione magically created.

Every day pretty much followed the same pattern. He would wake up around six in the morning, go to his desk and begin working on something to keep him busy. He would not leave his room until Hermione got up around nine. He knew she needed her privacy and he gave it to her. After she woke up she would go to the bathroom and get ready, while he went to the kitchen and made them breakfast. After they ate they would pick an activity to do together; explore the island and do something fun, stay at home and work in the gardens they were in the process of creating, or crash together on the couch and watch movies. Hermione always made lunch for them, and after they ate they would spend the late afternoon in the room they added on, working with spells and making new potions. For dinner they both would go to Miadanise. After dinner they would go back to the bungalow, and either change into their work out clothing and they would exercise for the two hours before they turned in for bed around ten-thirty or eleven or they would go back to the magic room and work. Then they would repeat it the next day. It was stable, simple and enjoyable. He loved it. He loved the second chance he was given at being normal and he loved the woman that was giving it to him.

Sirius finished changing and quickly combed his hair. It was getting long, but he did not mind it. He liked it long. When he finished he walked out of his room and Hermione was standing outside of his door. "Ready to go?" She asked. She was wearing another maxi dress, in red with some bold print on it. It looked good on her.

"Yes. I am sure that you have your wand?" He asked already knowing the answer to his question. She nodded and pointed to her side. Of course she was smart enough to have it concealed, but have it reachable at the same time. Constant Vigilance was taught to them by Mad-Eye.

Hermione walked ahead of him and was to the door first. He followed close by as they walked into the town. It took around twenty minutes. The office of Dr. McKinnon was next to the supermarket. It was small, but he had a good reputation, and he was highly recommended by everyone in the town. Sirius did his homework and checked into him thoroughly, he would not trust just anyone with Hermione Granger, she did deserve the best.

"Well, I guess I'll just walk around town while you see the doctor." He said.

"There is no need for that, Sirius, I am sure that he has a waiting room. Please come in with me." She said holding out her hand. He took a deep breath and grabbed it. Maybe it was possible for two people to be completely daft.

XXXXX

Hermione walked up to the desk and smiled. The room was fairly small, and scattered around in a few tattered chairs were some other patients. Sirius took a seat against the far wall. She smiled at him. "Uuuh, I have an appointment for Jean Black. It is at ten, but I was told to be here early."

"Yes, I have prepared your paperwork, just take your time, fill them out, bring them back up here and we will get you back for your appointment." She said handing her a clip board. Hermione took it and sat next to Sirius. She quickly thumbed through it, "bloody hell, Sirius it seems like I am writing a novel." She said looking at him.

"Here let me see it." He said, holding out his hand, she handed it over. He smiled, "are you aware that you are expected to know your families health history back to your great-great grandparents." He sighed and then waved his hand over the papers. Ink began to web its way across the paper filling in all of the information that was required. "Wait a few and take it up to the receptionist. I am sure that you will find all of the information satisfactory." He said with a smile.

"Thanks Sirius. I had no idea what to put. I am not very good at coming up with lies on the spot." She said grateful, at least she would not have to work her fingers to the bone. She thumbed through the papers and smiled. Sirius filled them out perfectly. She sat there tapping her foot. Since she was little she always had a fear of any type of doctor; that feeling still remained while she was an adult. After waiting for what she thought was the proper amount of paper filling out time she went ahead and returned them to the front desk.

"Thank you, Mrs. Black. You will be back to see the doctor shortly." She said with a smile. Hermione went and sat back down.

"You know I really feel fine now. Not at all sick, maybe a bit tired, but that could be from the early morning of barfing." She said making a face at Sirius, her foot tapping again.

"You will be alright. Whatever it might be; good, bad or ugly, we will handle it together." Sirius said taking her hand again. She smiled, and for some reason her heart rate increased. "We are family after all. We need to take care of each other."

"Thanks, Sirius."

"Mrs. Black?" A short elderly woman said coming from behind a door; she smiled and looked around. Hermione stood up and Sirius let go of her hand.

"Good luck, if you need me, ask the nurse to come get me." He said with a smile.

"Thank you." She said walking over to the woman. The woman held open the door and she walked in.

"Stop here, dear, we need to get your current height and weight." Hermione stood on the scale as the woman moved the height marker, "five foot and seven inches. Very good." She began moving around the weights on the scale, Hermione watched her, her eyes slightly bulging, "One fifty-three, hummm… That is a little above average for your height." She said.

"Yeah, I know, I usually weigh around one twenty." The woman motioned for her to get off the scale as she made some notes on a chart.

"Have you had any recent changes in your diet?" She asked. "Your room is room three, right this way." She added.

"Thank you. And uhhh… I recently had a major life change, and I moved here, but I've been eating the same amount of food; breakfast, lunch and dinner, no emotional eating, or snacking on junk foods. I've been eating a lot of apples, but I always crave apples." She said walking into the room. It was small, paneled in wood, there was a small brown table covered in the muggle sanitary paper that crinkled when someone sat on it or when a person moved. Opposite the table was a desk that held different sorts of instruments for exanimations. There was one of those swivel stools, a chair for another person and there were a few brochures; all in Malagasy. It made her think of going to see a doctor in her childhood, and she shivered. She hoped that nothing was too wrong with her.

"I made a note of that on the chart. If you would just sit on the table, the doctor will be in shortly." She said sticking the clipboard in the holder on the door, with a smile she walked out of the room and closed the door behind her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: JKR own the characters...**

**A/N: SURPRISE... I decided to upload 2 chapters for your reading pleasure tonight since you all are such dedicated readers... Hope you enjoy this chapter! I am sure that a few of you will be pleased to actually get a glimpse of... Oops, I don't want to spoil the ending... Just know you will like it! **

**Happy Reading! Don't forget the review...**

**Aftermath: Chapter 9**

Hermione was patiently sitting on the brown table when she heard the doctor knock. She took a deep breath and put on a false smile. "Yes?" She asked. The door opened and a young man no older than thirty entered. He had sandy blond hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in normal doctor attire, and when he smiled at her she saw perfect teeth surrounded by a blond goatee. I guess to the normal woman he might be sexy. She felt less nervous and flashed a real smile back at him.

"Good morning Mrs. Black." He said looking at the chart and walking to the stool. She was surprised that he had an American accent. "I'm Doctor Joseph McKinnon." He said extending his hand, she took it and shook it. He had a firm handshake.

"Nice to meet you Doctor McKinnon." She responded.

He looked at her again and then pulled out a pen from the pocket of his overcoat. "What brings you here today?" He asked walking over to the stool and sitting.

She took a deep breath and then began, "over the past month or so, I've been getting really sick in the mornings. I've been waking up, running to the bathroom and vomiting. It is not every day and not always in the morning. But I've also been really tired, even though I am getting the same amount of sleep. Sometimes I get nauseated when I smell food that I otherwise enjoy." She said looking at him, he was writing notes on his chart.

"At first I thought it was nothing much, just a bout of the flu, but I never ran a fever or had any other symptoms. I tried some over the counter medicines, and home remedies, but nothing seemed to help." She responded.

"You recently had some major life changes?" He asked. She wondered how he knew. "It says on the chart that you moved here a few months back." He said with a smile.

"I did. My husband passed on a few months ago, not too long before I moved here. I moved here to get away, clear my head and settle some business affairs." She responded.

"My wife and I moved here about five years ago after I completed my residency. We both come from America. I worked for a few years in various places in Africa and then settled here once we found out that I could create my own practice." He responded.

"That's nice." She said. She did not mind small talk, but she was nervous as hell waiting for him to check her out. She just wanted to get it over with and know what was wrong with her.

"I believe that you know my wife." He said with a smile. Hermione thought about all the people she meant over the past three months… There were a lot of locals she knew. "Her name is Mindy; she sold you the Christopher House." He said.

"Ooh yes, she made a great impression on me. When I came here, I decided if it was too crowded or had rude people I was going to go to another town, but she was so warm and inviting." Hermione said. "We get together often, about once a week for lunch. She has talked highly about you, but she never said you were the town doctor." Hermione responded.

"Ooh that is because she is very humble. She helps out around here on occasion when I am short staffed; which can be often." He responded.

"That is nice of her. She is a great friend, my first one here. When I needed a friend she was there."

"She is a great girl. Now back to you. I am just going to ask you a few questions." He said with a smile.

"Sure." Hermione responded.

"Okay so back to your weight, you said you normally weight around a hundred and twenty pounds, but the scale said you were one hundred and fifty-three. When was the last time you weighed yourself?"

"About five months ago, I guess. I don't do it very often but I had a physical at my family doctor. She was actually worried because I lost some weight and got down to around one-ten, I told her I was under stress and she just encouraged me to eat. Around the time I got all of my vaccinations." She said. It was the truth; she had a complete physical to make sure she was in good health. She was planning on trying for a baby with Ron right after they got married. His parents, her parents, Harry, Ginny… Well everyone could not wait for them to have a child. She went there to make sure she could and her doctor said everything checked out. She got her vaccinations for her honeymoon so they could travel and she would not get ill.

"So you are saying that in the last five months you gained around forty pounds?" He questioned.

"Yeah, I guess I am."

"And you were not worried about the gain?"

"Well, since I've been here I have been wearing dresses, and they are all big and billowy so it was not like I noticed it that much. I knew I gained some weight, maybe twenty pounds or so, but I thought I was just putting on what I lost. I've always been underweight; I guess because I would study too much and not focus too much on the food." She laughed, he did to. "I just graduated college around the time my husband died. It was pretty horrible. One day he was alive the next he wasn't. It was not easy. I am sure that I lost more weight after his passing, but once I got here, I could breathe, and I love the food. I guess I should've watched my diet better." She sighed. "Is that all that is wrong with me? Eating too much?" She asked.

"No, Mrs. Black. I don't think so. I am just going to ask you a few more questions." He responded.

"Okay." She responded.

"Have you felt faint or dizzy?"

"At times, yes."

"Heartburn?"

"On occasion."

"Loss of energy? Or falling asleep at random times during the day?"

"Maybe once or twice, but since I've been here I've been really active."

"Weird or strange food cravings?"

"Not really, I've just been eating a lot of apples."

"Have you felt like you've had to urinate more frequently?"

"Yeah. But it is hot, I drink a lot of water." She responded. He kept writing notes on his clip board. Hermione at first thought the questions were a little random and weird, but one thing she was not was stupid. She ran through them again; weight gain, frequent urination, nausea and sickness during the day, but mostly in the morning hours. She knew what the last question was going to be before it was even asked. How could she not have thought of it sooner? There was only one thing wrong with her, and it made tears start to leak out of her eyes. She sniffled. He looked at her.

"When was your last menstrual cycle?" He asked handing her a tissue.

"I honestly… Don't… Know…" She said sobbing.

He must've mistaken the tears for joy, not sadness, because he next said, "congratulations Mrs. Black, I think you are pregnant." It was said with a large smile. "I would want to run a few tests on you before you leave just to see how far along you are and your due date. But I am about 99% positive that you will be having a baby in the next five months." He said handing her a few more tissues. "I will give you a minute. Would you like me to go and get the gentleman that brought you here?" He asked, somewhat shocked by her reaction.

Hermione said nothing as she took the tissues and blew her nose. She did not need any tests, she was 100% positive she conceived during that wonderful night her and Ron had four months ago. It was their first time together in a while. Se calculated it in her head, she was four months along, had about five more to go and it was September. She would be having her baby between the middle of January to the middle of February. What was she going to do now? She did not want this at all. She did not want to be having Ron's baby.

"Mrs. Black? Are you okay? I think I will go and get your friend. I can see that you are very emotional at the moment. Please just take a deep breath." He said walking out the door.

Hermione Granger sobbed harder. "What am I going to do?" She asked out loud. She knew she still had certain options available to her. "How could I not know?" She questioned. "Fuck, this is so fucked up. Just when I think I am done with him, and can start moving on, I now get this thrown in my face." She began crying harder, but felt herself growing with rage. "I am so stupid." She said.

"I don't think you are, Hermione." Sirius said walking in. "Sorry, but the doctor said you needed me. And I figured only one of two things could be wrong." He said closing the door. Sirius Black held out his arms and Hermione walked right into them, burying herself in his chest; they both dropped to the floor. He held onto her tight, rubbing her back and trying to calm her down. "Whatever you decide Hermione it is fine with me. It is your choice. I will support you no matter what. I promise you that." He said, giving her a kiss on her forehead.

Hermione Granger might look brave on the outside, and those that know of her adventures with Harry, probably never even thought she was capable of such fear. But she was scared, a scared little girl that grew up way to fast in a world she knew little about. Yes, she made her mark on that world, but it prevented her from living a normal life. It changed her in a way that was impossible to reverse. But none of that matter now, hell, she would prefer, in that moment right then to be facing Voldemort. At least she was prepared for that. A baby with someone she didn't love anymore, and never loved more than a friend was something she not prepared for.

She pulled back her face and looked into the older man's wise, compassionate eyes that were twinkling with tears. They once were grey and fathomless, but now she saw so much in them. "Sirius, I don't know what to do. I really don't." She sighed and sobbed again. He held her tighter on the floor soothing her as she cried and took time to think it over. He rubbed her back and whispered soothing things to her that she could not make out, but made her feel better. She stopped the crying and pulled back.

"Sirius, is it crazy that I want to keep this baby?" She asked him.

He was quiet looking at her, an expression on his face she never seen before, or understood. "I never expected anything less of you." He said.

"Is it bad that I don't want to tell Ron even though there is no doubt that it is his?" She asked, guilty that she was voicing her innermost thoughts. "Is it bad that I want this to be all ou… I mean mine?" Did she actually almost say ours? She asked herself.

"No, Hermione. It is your baby; you deal with it how you want. Just know that I support you." He said. She was happy he said that, she was so scared that he would run. "Hermione, I would never run away from you. No matter what. I hope you believe that." He said and then he kissed her forehead. She sighed in relief and wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. He hugged her back. "Now, let's get you back up on the table so the doctor can come in and do whatever tests he needs to." Sirius said.

Hermione stood up and was a little weak in the knees; lucky for her he had Sirius to help her to the table. She sat up on it and smiled. Sirius handed her a tissue. She blew her nose. "There you go. All better. Now I will go and get the doctor and he can do some blood work at least that is what he said he was going to do."

"Okay, Sirius. Thank you. Could you please stay in here with me?" She asked.

"Yes, of course." He said with a smile and then walked out of the door. A few moments later, Sirius came back in followed by Dr. McKinnon.

"I see that you are feeling a bit better, Mrs. Black. I just want to draw some blood and then you may leave. I will call you once I get the results." He said snapping on a pair of white surgical gloves.

"What are these tests for?" She asked.

"We want to check your platelets, your cholesterol, blood pressure, things like that, just to make sure that you're healthy to carry the baby. And we are going to want to set up an appointment for an ultrasound. This way we can check how far along you are and an exact due date. I cannot do it now because the machine takes time to set up. Ready?" He asked holding up the needle. Sirius came and took her hand, an unspoken request between the two of them. She nodded and held her breath when she was stuck with the needle. She chuckled a bit; here she was scared of a needle when she was face to face with murderers just a few years ago. Talk about irony.

"All finished. I will have the nurse set up the appointment for the ultrasound when she calls you with your results. They will be in in a few days. I also have a few prescriptions for you." He said handing the papers to her. "They are just common prenatal medications. Do you have any questions?" He concluded.

"No, I don't think so." She responded.

"Good, I have some pamphlets here for you to read over. And if you have any questions you can call, or just stop in." He said handing her a card, "this is my professional and personal lines. If you need anything call." He said with a smile, "and I talked to my wife on the phone, she would enjoy it if you and SB would stop over Sunday for dinner. It would make her happy. She has little friends here since most are natives; it thrills her that there is someone here that actually speaks English and shares some similar culture. She is making pot roast and potatoes." He said with a grin.

"We would like that, Dr. McKinnon." Hermione said with a smile.

"Call me Joseph. We're friends now." He held out his hand and she shook it. Then Sirius shook it.

"Ooh and congratulations. I am sure you will be a wonderful mother." He stated.

Hermione smiled, she thought she would be a good mother too. "Thank you, Joseph." She said. He smiled at the two of them again and then left the room.

"I think you will be a good mother too Hermione." Sirius said holding out her hand to help her down. "Now let's get out of here." He said. The both walked out of the room and down the hall; he held open the door for her that led to the reception room.

"See you next week, Mrs. Black." The lady said behind the counter.

"Thank you." She said and then walked out of the door.

XXXXX

They walked silently back to their home after they filled her prescriptions and had an early dinner. Sirius could tell that Hermione was clearly in shock. Her skin was pale white and she had a death grip on his arm. He wished he was better at reading emotions because right about now he would love to know exactly what she was feeling so he could figure out exactly what to say. He could only imagine what thoughts were running though her mind.

He tried to comfort her best that he could earlier in the doctor office, but did that really help her? She needed someone like Ginny, Molly, or her mum right now. Not him. She kept looking straight ahead and he kept his eyes on her. He did not want her to pass out or anything and harm the baby. Finally after what seemed like an hour walk home they made it to the door of the bungalow. He let the two of them in and walked her to the couch. She sat down and began looking out the window. He did the only thing he could think to do and went to the kitchen to make some tea.

Why was he so emotionally stupid? He had no idea what to do for her. He wanted to ask her how she was doing, but he knew that was a silly question. He filled the tea pot and then put some tea leaves in two cups. When the pot went off he poured in the water and then took the two cups to where Hermione was sitting. He put the cup in front of her face and she accepted it, with an off smile.

"Thank you, Sirius." She responded taking a big drink.

"You're welcome, Hermione. I wish there was more that I could do for you." He said sitting next to her. She took another drink and then put her cup down.

"Sirius, just you being here, at a time when I need you the most is more than enough…" She said, tears escaping her eyes. "I… need… a friend." She responded. Again for the second time that day Sirius opened his arms and let her small, fragile frame cling to him as she cried.

He knew she was crying for everything she lost a few months ago, and she was crying for the future she was given that she did not want to take part in. He could tell that the tears were more than just the pregnancy, but for every wrong thing that was ever done to her that she kept locked inside. He knew she needed this; it was a way for her to cleanse her soul. He cradled her head as she cried and ran his hand across her back.

Every inch of him knew that she was giving him a very special gift that he did not deserve, but was thrilled all the same to get it. He again whispered things to her in an early wizarding language that was drilled into his head when he was younger. At the time he thought the words were useless, but now he could tell that they brought comfort to her. She cried for a while, until he figured that she could no longer shed a tear. She pulled back and looked at him; there was something different in her face.

Before he even had a moment to react she leaned in and kissed him on his lips. It was soft and sweet and made his mind go completely blank. He went to kiss her back and she pulled away. She had the most alluring look on her face that made Sirius melt. He wanted her, and if his instincts were correct she wanted him.

With a moan he put his hand behind her neck and pulled her lips close to his. The kiss this time was filled with passion, longing and lust. Her small hands began roaming his body trying to pull him closer to her. His hands began to tangle themselves in her hair. This was heaven. But then he pulled away. He could not believe he was going to say this, "Hermione, I don't think we should do this." He said breathless.

"Why not?" She asked her face filled with rejection.

"I just don't want you to do something that you will regret later." He responded touching her face and catching a tear.

"Sirius, I want this." She said her eyes filling with more tears. "Sirius, I need this. I need this connection with you. I feel… I feel like… Like my life is crumbling around me and I need something to keep me grounded. Sirius, I need this… I need you… I want you… Please." She said. He knew with the ringing in every word she pronounced she meant it.

He knew there would be no regrets in the morning when they woke up together. He knew that both of them needed this form or connection. He did not care if it was just for one night. Nothing was going to change in the morning. They would remain Hermione and Sirius, friends; every fiber in his being knew this. With a smile he caressed her cheek and nodded, he leaned in gentl,y kissed away the tears on the left side of her face, and then her right.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: JKR is the soul owner of the Harry Potter World. **

**A/N: Ooh I just love all of you 120+ alerts on the story. I cannot believe it. It baffles me. I really do love each and every one of you that has taken the time to read this story. Now for the next chapter... We are back in London... It is time to see how everyone else's life has been unfolding... I hope you all enjoy this chapter, the next one is even better, we get more into the head of Ron... **

**Happy Reading... Review if you have a chance. **

**Aftermath: Chapter 10**

Ginny rolled over in bed again, much to Harry's dismay. For the past two hours since they went to bed she had been tossing and turning, unable to find a comfortable position to sleep. "Gin, baby, are you alright?" He asked her. She said nothing just flopped around. "Gin?" He asked her. She sat upright in bed and looked at him.

"Harry, it's time. You need to get me to the hospital." She moaned.

His brain was a little slow on the uptake. "What you mean they are coming now?" He asked stupidly.

"Yes, Harry. NOW!" She yelled.

"Well, how far apart are the contractions?" He questioned.

"I'm not sure… But close…" She said trying to get off the bed. He jumped up and walked over to her. He smiled at his wife. She was short and well-rounded; it seemed that over the last month her stomach exploded. She no longer fit any of her clothing, or his. And even some of the maternity clothing they bought was too small on her. She had been miserable the past few months, but that was not all the fault of her pregnancy. Hermione being gone was like murder for his little wife. God, she missed her friend. Harry missed her too, and Sirius. He never realized back when he found out about Ron and Luna that his life would spiral so much out of control.

That was one screwed up day. Mrs. Weasley was throwing the two of them, Ron and Hermione, an engagement party. Dumbledore was nice enough to let them use Hogwarts for the festivities, but it was after school was out. They were even going to hold the wedding at Hogwarts with Dumbledore officiating. Harry was in charge of the giddy and drunk Ron, but when Harry went and used the bathroom Ron disappeared.

Harry searched the castle and found the two of them in the boy's dorm. Harry was upset and yelled so loud that it scared the shit out of them. Ron looked ashamed and embarrassed and begged him not to tell Hermione, he blamed it on being drunk and his nerves. Ron was bawling like a baby. Harry felt sorry for him and said he would not tell Hermione on the one condition that it would never happen again.

"Harry! Shouldn't you be getting my bags and taking me to the car?" Ginny asked, making Harry shake his head and go back to reality.

"Yes, of course, Gin." Harry said, and began rushing to get her bag; then helped her off the bed. "Come on, honey, let's get you to the hospital." Harry held onto his wife as she waddled out to their car. He got her buckled in and then put her bag in the back. He ran over to his side and began backing out of their garage. Soon as he was on the street he gunned it in the direction of Saint Mungo's. With Ginny being so pregnant they couldn't apparate or floo; driving was their only option. He just hoped he made it there fast enough. With a look at his wife, who was in intense amounts of pain, he flipped down the glove box and pushed the buttosn that activated the anit-muggle detection charms, the invisibility booster, and the turbo.

"Just hold on Ginny, love. We will be there soon." He said with a smile. He then flipped open his cell phone and hit Ron's number.

XXXXX

Ron was groggy when he heard his phone go off. He flipped it open, "'ello?" He asked.

"Ron, I need you to wake up mum and dad and tell them that Ginny is in labor and we are on our way to Saint Mungo's. I can't make the calls, so I need you to. Get all your brothers and then my aunt and cousin, don't forget Dumbledore, McGonogall, Lupin, and Tonks…" There was a pause. "Yeah, that's all." He said.

"I can do that mate." Ron responded looking at the alarm it read three forty-five am. "Give my sister a kiss and tell her we will all be there soon." Ron said.

"Thank you, Ron." Harry said and then he heard the click on the line. Ron struggled to untangle himself from the blankets. He reached for his pants and a shirt and as he began dressing he called Lupin's cell.

"Yeah!" It was short and snappy.

"Sorry man," Ron started out, "Harry just called, and he and Ginny are on the way to the hospital, she is having the baby. I am stuck making the calls." Ron grumbled.

"I'll get Tonks up and get Teddy ready." Lupin said much more alert. "We will meet them there. Would you like me to call Dumbledore, and I can reach the twins faster than you can since they live just down the street."

"Yeah that would be great. I know that Charlie is visiting this weekend, and Bill and Fleur are only a few houses over. I think Percy is on call at Mungo's tonight, but I'll leave him a message."

"Sounds good, Ron. Sorry I was so short with you earlier; neither of us is sleeping well since Teddy has been teething." He responded.

"I acted the same way getting woke up at 4 am. See you soon, Moony." Ron said and then ended the call. He hit the texting button and began writing a text to Luna: Gin labor St. Mungo. B there soon. Hope 2 c u there. Luv Ron. He hit the send button and then went down the hall to Charlie's room. He knocked.

"Yeah, it's open." Charlie responded.

Ron pushed open the door and walked into the twin's old bedroom. He noticed that the desk was filled with papers, maps, and blue prints. There were a few dragon books lying open and Charlie was sitting in a chair too small for his muscular body with his phone open in his hands. "Do you ever sleep?" Ron asked.

"I was just getting ready for bed." He responded looking at his brother, his phone buzzed. He flipped it open, read what the message said, smiled, punched in a few numbers in response then closed the phone. "Is there something I can help you with?" He asked.

Ron knew that he was texting his new 'special friend' Charlie did not say too much about the person just that the person meant a lot to him. The whole family, Ron included was curious. "Harry just called, Ginny is on her way to Saint Mungo's; she is in labor." Ron responded.

"Hot dog! I knew there was a reason why I picked this week to come home and visit. Do mum and dad know?"

"No, I was just going to tell them, but your room is closer so I stopped in."

"Okay, I'm going to get dressed and then I will meet you all in the kitchen. Have you called the others?"

"I need to get Bill and Percy."

"I'll call Percy, he is working tonight. You just go get Bill and Fleur." Charlie said with a smile. Ron walked out of the room and took the steps two at a time down to his parent's room. He pounded on the door.

His dad threw open the door, "Ronald Bilius Weasley! Do you know what time it is?" His father shouted; he could see his mother in her night robe looking livid.

"Ginny is having the baby! Wake up, get dressed and meet in the kitchen, I am going to get Bill and Fleur. Remus has done the other calling, Charlie has contacted Percy and he is on his way down right now. We all can leave together." He said.

"Ooh joy, ooh happy day, I am going to be a grandmum again." His mum said getting out of bed and throwing some clothes to his dad. Ron left their room and got outside.

He knew that with everything going on in his life at the moment he should not be as happy as he was for Harry and his sister, but he was happy. He was going to be an uncle again, and his best friend was going to be a father. It seemed so perfect, even if one very important person was missing. But now was not the time to be thinking about Hermione. He knew if he did he would again be victim of that downward spiral he was on after she first left. No, he was not going to focus on how guilty he felt, or how much he wished things had gone different. No, tonight was about Harry and Ginny, no one or nothing else.

Bill and Fleur live two houses down the street on the opposite side. When he got there he knocked on their door and waited, Fleur with little Victorie answered. Not giving her chance to talk he blurted out, "Ginny is on her way to Saint Mungo's, get Bill up and meet back at the Burrow." He said with a smile. Fleur said nothing just rushed back to wake up Bill. A few minutes later the three of them, perfectly dressed, walked out of the house.

"What a blessed day, Ronald. Our little sister! How wonderful!" Bill said as they walked back to The Burrow.

"I know, and everyone is going to be there; everyone there to celebrate with our sister and brother-in-law." Ron said; everyone except Hermione. He wondered if she still had her cell phone. It was such a silly thought, which never crossed his mind. He never even tried it. Fuck, he didn't even look for her after she left. Harry looked endlessly, for weeks, but he just drank away his pain and fucked Luna. That was it. He probably hit rock bottom around the beginning of August. He was drinking day and night, and during the nights he was out around town raising hell and sleeping with cheap whores. He was not proud of those times, but he did what he had to. Harry was the one that sat him down and convinced him to enter into rehab. He was there for from the second of August until the thirtieth. Once he was released he moved back home with his mum and dad who kept an eye on him. Thankfully for him, Luna was there for him, even though she knew about him and the whores. He loved her, and he wanted to make it official, but she was not ready for that yet.

"Are we all ready to go?" His mother asked when they got back to the Burrow. Everyone nodded and then with a wosh they all apparated to Saint Mungo's.

XXXXX

Harry held Ginny's hand while they waited for the witch at the reception desk to find Ginny's paperwork.

"What is the name again?"

"Ginerva Molly Weasley Potter." Harry said a bit louder. "She has been a patient here since we first found out she was pregnant. Her doctor is Hannah Abbott. Ginny was in here two days ago for her last checkup. Her due date is today the 19th." Harry said annoyed. Ginny squeezed tight onto his hand.

"HaaaRRRY! Anot…her connntrrrrraccctioooooooon." She yelled. "They're gettttttttting closerrrrrrrrrrr."

"Isn't there anything you can do? As you can see she is about to have the baby." He yelled at the woman slamming down his fist on the desk.

"Harry, my boy, you don't need to do that." Harry turned around and saw Remus Lupin looking at him. "Gin look, Lupin and Tonks are here." His wife turned around and saw the familiar face of a friend that tried her best to be there since Hermione's absence. "Harry, you should apologize to the receptionist." Remus said coming up behind them. Tonks handed Teddy over to Remus and walked to her friend. The two of them embraced and Ginny started crying.

"Shush, young one. Don't worry. I will be here for you." Tonks said trying to sooth her friend.

"I want Hermione, Tonks. I want her so bad." Ginny cried.

"Has anyone tried calling her, or Sirius?" Remus asked.

"No, we haven't. I don't know if we should." Harry responded. It was not like she tried contacting them in the past three months, but he understood that. He understood why. And it was his pride that was keeping him from contacting Sirius.

"I'll give them both a call and see if I can get anywhere." Remus said with a smile.

"Thank you, Remus." Harry said. Remus nodded and walked away from the group with Teddy in his arms.

"Umm… Excuse me, but I found her chart. I'm sorry it took so long." The older witch said.

"I'm also sorry for my behavior." Harry responded.

"It is alright. I just need a signature here and then we can get her settled in a room." The woman said. Ginny signed the paper and the woman walked around the desk. "Please follow me; we are going to room three." She said walking ahead of them. Harry got on the other side of Ginny and together they walked down the hall to the back wing where the maternity ward was at. Harry could tell when the crossed over from the main hospital to the maternity ward. The walls went from pale gray to bright pinks, blues, and greens. It was very cheerful.

"Here we are." The woman said walking in. Harry noticed that it looked just like every other hospital room; there were a few chairs, a bed, instruments, a door that led to the lavatory and one that led to a closet. The witch pulled out a hospital gown. "Just change into this. Your doctor will be in shortly. Please keep the visitors in the room with her to the minimum. There is a waiting room across the hall and has more than enough room for everyone. Keep it under four in here." She said and then walked out of the room.

Harry looked at his precious wife and smiled. "Soon Gin, we are going to be parents. I love you." He said giving her a kiss. She kissed him back.

"Harry, why don't you go and check on Remus and then see if the others are here." Tonks said breaking the kiss. Harry looked at his wife and smiled, "sounds good to me. I trust her with you Tonks."

"As you should." She responded. He kissed his wife on the forehead and then walked out of the room. He followed the little yellow arrows that lead back out to the main entrance. Remus was still on his cell phone. Harry walked over to him.

"When you get this message, please call me back." He said and then closed the lid. "I got both of their machines." Remus said.

"Has Sirius contacted you lately?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, just last week. He mentioned about going to more of a tropical climate and that he was no longer in Spain. I asked him exactly where he was, but he didn't say too much about it. I asked him if he had any contact with you and he said not since you hung up on him when he was just telling you the truth. He is pretty upset about it, Harry."

"He deserves to be. I was still so enraged about the whole Hermione situation and I just took it out on him. It was wrong of me, but I did it."

"From what I hear Harry, you did her quite wrong. I can't believe that you all knew about it and did not tell her." Remus said.

"Yeah I know, I don't need reminded. I am aware that I took Ron's side over hers and that I did her wrong. I regret it. I just wish I could make it up to her. You have no idea how much I wish I could go back in time."

"But you can't, Harry. Now you need to step up and be a man, admit your error and beg and I mean beg for forgiveness. And with any luck, and if she loves you and Ginny at all anymore, she just might forgive you." Remus said looking deep into Harry's eyes.

"I hope so Remus, I really hope she can. I just don't know where she is at." Harry said.

"I know where she might be." Remus said. "But I doubt that she is going to want Ron running around down there. I am only telling you this because I really feel like you regret what you've done. But, I don't want you harassing her." He said with a sigh.

"Where? I would do anything, Remus."

"You know how Severus Snape and I are getting ready to open up that new Potion Apothecary?"

"Yes, I've saw your ad in The Daily Prophet."

"Severus and I have only gotten one hit on it, from a HJG in Madagascar. Since we were running the ad exclusively in The Prophet, I went there and being a partial owner, I reviewed recent subscriptions with the address she included in her potion sample, it was not hard to cross reference it. The subscription was under Jean Black."

"So?" Harry asked.

"Harry, my boy, you are supposed to be an auror. Once I had her name and the address, I looked it up online trying to see if there was any information posted about it, I found out that the previous owners were Cheryl and Jesse Christopher. Then with the information I called the city hall, they gave me the number to the realtor office. I called and talked to a girl named Mindy, pretending to be the grandson of the Christopher's, she informed me that a Mrs. Sirius Black bought it, Saturday June 8th. I asked if she gave her first name and she said it was Jean." Remus explained, Harry did not understand a thing, so he continued.

"I asked if she was alone in the house or if she had a companion. Mindy explained that her husband's business partner, SB Granger was in town with her." Remus looked at him, as if he expected him to understand.

"Sorry, Moony, but I really don't understand."

"HJG, Mrs. Sirius Black or Jean Black, SB Granger. Don't tell me that you are that daft, Harry!" Harry shook his head. "Okay, I will spell it out for her; Hermione and Sirius are both in Madagascar, together, in this same house. And I know the address to it."

"Remus, can I please have it? I need to go and make sure that she is okay. Even with Sirius there, I am worried about her."

"Yes, Harry, on the one condition that you promise to leave them alone, and you wait until after Ginny has had the baby and has settled in back home. I don't want anyone else knowing where it is. And if anyone finds out, I will know it is because of you. I would tip them off and I would find them a new place to stay and no one will ever find them! Understand?" Remus stated.

Harry knew he was talking about Ron, or the other Weasley's. Harry would not even dare to tell Ron about her location. He was not that stupid and he knew that last thing that Hermione needed was Ron. If she and Sirius were together then she was at least safe. But he knew she still had to be dealing with many different emotions and could probably use a friend or two. And god knew Ginny needed and wanted her. Harry could tell that Remus Lupin was serious about helping them disappear off the face of the planet if he messed it up. But he was not going to be doing that. "Remus, my friend, I swear on my life that no one will ever find out about this. It will be like this conversation never happened." Harry said.

"Okay, my boy. I will give you the address later." He said. "Right now, we must welcome the rest of the family." Remus said pointing to the entrance. All of their family and friends were walking fervently towards the two of them.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything Harry Potter...**

**A/N: So here is another chapter... I am excited to share this with you because I think there are some sweet and tender moments with Remus and his son, as well as , Harry... Sadly, like some of you requested... Hermione is not there for this chapter because she is otherwise involved with Sirius, which is going to be detailed in the next two chapters... But never fear, the next few chapter really pick up the story and move us gracefully to the end...**

**I want to thank all of my wonderful readers! I love you all! I love reading your reviews, they make me smile and it makes me happy knowing I am giving you a story you can enjoy...**

**Lastly, HAPPY READING! (This is one of my more favorite chapters)... And review if you wanna make me smile! **

**Aftermath: Chapter 11**

Ron sat in the waiting room across the hall from his sister. It was after seven in the morning. They had been there for the past four hours and Ginny's labor was progressing slowly. Hannah Abbott gave her some potions for pain and to help the labor along; they were helping, but rather slowly. The waiting room was crowded with his family and their friends. The only people not in the waiting room were Tonks, his mother, and Harry; they were all in the room with Ginny!

"Here you are, Ronald. Some fresh coffee from the tea room, I am afraid it is rather bitter." Luna said handing him a cup. He smiled at her. She arrived at Saint Mungo's shortly after they did.

He took a drink of the coffee and grimaced. "Sit, love," he said patting his legs. She obeyed. Ron looked at her and smiled. She had not changed much since Hogwarts. She still wore radish earrings, and had her bottle cap necklace. Her robes had little stars on them and were bright yellow. She was odd and whimsical, and he was madly in love with her. He loved her like he loved no other. "Have I told you today that I loved you?"

"No, Ronald, you have not. I love you too." She said giving him a sweet kiss on the lips. It was soft and sensual, and he knew it would've struck a nerve with half of the people in attendance.

No one in his family particularly liked her. They focused their blame on her for what happened with Hermione, when he was the one that should've taken the blame. Did she care that everyone else hated her? Not at all. She brushed it off, after all the years at Hogwarts she had a thick skin.

"How much longer do you think it will be?" She asked in her dreamy tone.

"I am not really sure, Luna. Harry hasn't given us an update in almost two hours." He responded. "I am sure that he will come out soon." He said with a smile.

Luna laid her head on his shoulders and he ran his hands up and down her back. He never had moments like this with Hermione. She didn't need him; she was a strong powerful woman, with her own mind. She could get along well without him. They had fun together, and went through many trials and tribulations too. He did love her, but that love was more like the love he had for Harry. They were friends, nothing more. He didn't know why he proposed to Hermione. Maybe it was all the stress from those around him, he never was good under pressure. His dad even gave him his grandmother's ring. After graduation and being caught up in the moment he proposed, but it was not what he really wanted. Never was. But rather than being a man and calling off the engagement, he did one of the most dishonorable things possible, he cheated, multiple times on Hermione; with Luna, with other women. At the same time he kept up this façade with her, leading Hermione to believe in his love for her. He fucked up big time, and he dealt with the consequences every day.

Luna on the other hand was some sort of solace, he never felt dumb in her presence, her quirky sense of humor amused him, and most of all, she needed the protection. She needed him to take care of her, to love her, she was nothing without him, they completed each other. The two of them were not walking side by side in life, but together as one. He and Hermione were never going to complete each other, they were too different, but he and Luna were very much similar and together they could make magic. They were going to. He felt it.

Ron looked at the other faces in the room. Dumbledore and Lupin were together talking about some new lessons at Hogwarts. The twins and George's wife were sitting talking to Professor McGonogall, who actually seemed interested in what they were saying. He guessed she left the Professor hat off for the night. Charlie was sitting with Bill and Fleur; he still had his phone out texting away. Petunia and Dudley were together just a few seats away from him looking through old issues of Witch Weekly; they had the oddest expressions on their faces as they shared articles and were asking his father questions. They made a wicked group, the three of them; his father asking the two of them all sorts of questions about the muggle world, and Petunia and Dudley were asking questions right back about the wizarding world.

Everyone seemed so normal, like they all belonged together in this room waiting for Ginny to have her baby. They were one big, yet dysfunctional family. He loved them all and wished that Hermione could've actually been there. If only he was man enough to face his problems and try to fix them, then she could be here. But he took away her chance to share in this happiness by breaking her heart and betraying her. He was just realizing how much he took away from her. He really was a bastard, and he hated himself for it. One day he would find a way to make it up to her.

His thoughts drifted back to Luna who now was sleeping in his arms. She was beautiful, and her heart was filled with such kindness. She wanted to tell Hermione, it hurt her keeping something so big from her friend. She was even embarrassed that everyone else knew about the two of them. If it was up to her, they would've remained a secret. She didn't want to be a home wrecker. It pained him that everyone thought she was, but that was something else he was going to change.

She sighed in her sleep and snaked her left arm around his neck. He kissed her forehead and looked out the door to the waiting room; he could see the 3 clearly printed on his sister's door. He would give anything to see how everything was going. He took another drink of his bitter coffee and looked around the room again. Most of the people were still in the same places, except for his father and Remus who were pacing the floor.

"Dad, Remus, can't one of you just go knock on the door and see what is happening?" Ron asked them. They both looked terrified.

"Ron, you heard how Tonks bit my head off when I went to check about an hour ago." Remus responded.

"Can't they just give her a potion to make the baby pop out?"

"Ron, you know that is not possible. She is actually lucky; Fleur was in labor for thirty-six hours before Victorie was born. Ginny's been in labor for what four hours? She still might have a day to go." Bill said.

"Ron, relax." Remus said with a smile. "The baby will come when it wants to come, not any time before that. With Tonks she went almost two weeks after her due date, but once she was in labor, Teddy arrived fast."

"Well, I don't think I want kids. I know that Hermione wanted to have a baby right after we married, but I really didn't want a child, ever. Luna agrees with me. She wants to be free, and a child would just tie us down."

"I agree, Ronald. I wouldn't mind babysitting for a child, but I don't want to have to take care of them all the time. At the end of the day, if I want to get up and travel to Japan, I am going to. I don't want to pack along a child." Luna said out of nowhere. He fully agreed.

"Did you ever share those feelings with Hermione?" Remus asked him in a tone of disapproval.

"No, I didn't have the heart to. She would talk about children and would get so excited." He said.

"Well, it seem like there was a lot of things you kept from her." Remus responded picking up Teddy and walking from the room.

"Don't pay any attention to him, Ronald. They don't understand you." Luna said looking at him and kissing him again. He kissed her back, happy that at least one person in him messed up life understood him.

XXXXX

Remus walked down the hallway with his son. He was upset and was trying to walk off the anger. Since he found out a few months ago about Hermione's disappearance and the reason behind it, he has wanted to tear into Ron and let him know exactly what he thought. But Tonks begged him not to do it. His dear kindhearted wife, she just wanted to be friends with everyone and keep the peace. He put that poor woman through enough, and he did not want to add any more stress in her life.

The two of them stopped in front of the nursery glass and look at the babies in there. There was two, a boy and a girl. "Look Teddy, its babies." Remus said holding his son allowing him to look through the glass. Remus read the names on the tags, the girl was named Holly Rose Iriving and the boy; he had to read the name twice, "Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy? That has to be Draco's son. I knew his wife was pregnant, but I did not think she was due so soon. I wonder how Harry is going to feel knowing his child and Draco's child share a birthday." Remus said with a chuckle to Teddy.

"Baybe, dada." Teddy said pointing. "Mine baybe?" He asked looking at his father.

"No, no, no," Remus said looking at his son. "If you want a brother or sister, you need to convince your mother, I've tried, and she has turned me down, son." Remus said laughing.

"Ooh hello, Remus Lupin, are you admiring my grandson?" Lucius Malfoy with his wife began walking in his direction. Bad blood would always remain between the two of them, but they were at least cordial when they ran into each other.

"Lucius, Narcissa, good morning. My son, Teddy, and I were just admiring your grandson here. Scorpius; what a wonderful name for a Malfoy." Remus said. "Congratulations to the both of you. I bet Draco is ecstatic. How is Astoria?" Remus asked.

"She is fine, thank you. Why are you here?" Narcissa asked.

"Ginny is in labor right now. We are all here to support them." He responded.

"Please share our congratulations with them, Remus, and excuse us; we are going to visit our son."

"Thank you. Please share ours with Draco."

"We will." Narcissa said as she and her husband disappeared down the hall Remus just came from. Remus snickered, "that could have gone worse. Teddy, let's go and get something for breakfast." Remus and Teddy found a set of elevators and took them upstairs to the tearoom.

"Good morning, sir. How can I help you? A small witch at a counter asked.

"I think that my son would like some toast with some orange marmalade, and some orange juice. I will just have some coffee." She punched some numbers in on her register.

"That comes to six sickles and one kunt, please." She said. He reached in his pocket and pulled out seven sickles.

"Please keep the change." He said smiling.

"Just a few moments please." She said as she disappeared into a room in the back. She came out with a box of juice and the toast for Teddy and the coffee for him. "Here you are." She said with a smile. Remus took the three items and walked them over to the table. He sat down the food and then place Teddy in a chair.

"Here you go, son. Eat up." He said giving him the toast.

"Tank ewe dada." He said with a smile biting down on his toast. Remus smiled and sat in the chair next to his son. He was one lucky man; ten years ago he never thought something as wonderful as this was possible. He had a beautifully smart wife, a son he adored and some of the best friends a man could ask for. He had a successful business that allowed him to invest in and buy partnerships in a few wizarding publications The Daily Prophet being one of them. He had investment properties in both the wizarding and muggle world, and he and his business partner, Severus Snape, were about to open a new chain of high end potions shops.

Severus and he had a mutual understanding, after years of Severus making the Wolfsbane Potion for him, one night, after a few years of research created a potion that almost completely prevented a werewolf's transformation during a full moon. They proved it to the Ministry and just like that they came into a lot of money and decided to put their brains together and create potions that would be helpful for those in dire need of them. They still did not like each other, and due to the past they probably never would, but they knew that they could help people, and decided to do it. Severus and he both knew they were going to need some help with some new ideas; which is why he put the ad in The Prophet. He was thrilled that Hermione answered it and they both agreed on hiring her. Remus wanted to tell her the good news in person, he was actually going to go down there today and tell her, but other things came up.

Judging by the context of her potion sample it seemed she was speaking from experience on how it helped. He figured she was pretty messed up; which made him happy that Sirius was there for her. Remus knew long ago that those two would make the perfect couple. There was an age difference, but that did not matter, many other things contributed to soul mates, and Hermione Granger and Sirius Black was soul mates.

He wondered if he did the wrong thing by telling Harry he knew where she lived… But his instincts told him he made the proper choice. He was serious with Harry about Ron finding out where they lived. If he told him, then he would move Hermione and Sirius to a property he owned in Ireland. He was the secret keeper, they would never be found.

"Dada, I done." Teddy said with a smile. Remus looked at him and saw he had an orange mustache.

"Good boy, Teddy." He said taking a napkin and wiping off his face. Remus took a drink of his coffee and then picked up his son. "Let's go see if Auntie Ginny had her baby yet."

"Me baybe." Teddy said with a smile. "Me baybe. Me baybe!" He said happily chirping as they headed back to the waiting room on the first floor. Remus was laughing as he entered into the waiting room. It had not changed much, but rather than the people chatting along with each other they all were sitting silently.

"Any news?" He asked walking over to Arthur, he sat Teddy down in a chair and gave him a few of his toys.

"Nothing, just a lot…" There was a loud pitched scream; he could tell it was Ginny, "of that. She has been screaming like that for the past fifteen minutes. And still no word. I am losing it Remus that is my baby girl."

"Just calm down, Arthur. She is just delivering your grandbaby. Just take a few deep breaths. It'll help, trust me." The two of them sat down together. More screams came from the room across the hall and Remus like the others sat in their chairs looking at the door with each scream. Arthur began pacing after a short while and Remus had to chuckle. He remembered Tonks when she was in full blown labor, she was screaming so loud that she was shaking the ceiling.

Ten minutes after Remus and Teddy returned to the waiting room, Harry walked out of the room across the hall with the biggest grin on his face. He staggered over to them and every circled around. "James Sirius Ronald Potter was born at 9:22 am weighing in at 6 pounds and 10 ounces." The people in the room began clapping and congratulating him but he held up a hand, "Jean Arthur Remus Potter was born at 9:31 am weighing in at 6 pounds and 7 ounces. Both of the boys are healthy and Ginny is doing just fine. If you all want to follow me I can show them to you through the glass." Harry said walking proudly out of the room. Remus and Teddy were at the front of the line and smiled when Harry walked behind the glass and a nurse helped put both of his twin boys in his arms.

One of them had flaming red hair and green eyes, while the other had black hair and bright brown eyes. They were the perfect mixture of Harry and Ginny and Remus was so proud. As Harry kissed the foreheads of his little boys, Remus was not the only one wiping a tear away from his eyes.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: Not my characters by JKRs. **

**WARNING: THIS CHAPTER IS RATER M... Yes this is the first sex scene of the story between Hermione/Sirius. Be warned... **

**A/N: I hope you all liked the visit to London, we will be traveling back there shortly... More questions would be answered then... I am very nervous about sharing this chapter with you all. It is my first sex scene and I just want to make sure that it is good enough... I hope it is... *fingerscrossed***

**Again thank you all for the reviews/alerts/favs... It means so much to me. I'm happy you like it! **

**Happy Reading! **

**Aftermath: Chapter 12**

He knew there would be no regrets in the morning when they woke up together. He knew that both of them needed this form or connection. He did not care if it was just for one night. Nothing was going to change in the morning. They would remain Hermione and Sirius, friends; every fiber in his being knew this. With a smile he caressed her cheek and nodded, he leaned in gently kissed away the tears on the left side of her face, and then her right.

She sighed and snaked her arms around his neck pulling him closer to her. He kissed his way from the top of her forehead down the side of her left cheek, over her nose to her right and then ever so gently he kissed her lips. She sighed again knotting her hands in his hair and deepening the kiss. She pushed her chest into his and moved her hands from his hair down his back. She began pulling his shirt out of his waistband. Sirius moved his lips from hers and began kissing down her neck; she kicked back her head giving him full access. He could feel her pulse drumming in her throat and right on the pulse spot he nipped at her skin, she moaned.

Sirius was trying his hardest to be slow and gentle with Hermione. He wanted this moment to be something that will clear her mind of every worry or doubt; make it all disappear and be replaced with thoughts of passion and pleasure. He cared enough about her to take his time and make it as special as possible for her.

While he kissed and sucked on her neck her hands were flicking the buttons on his shirt. Soon she had it completely undone and she was pulling it off his shoulders. She took control of the kissing now, kissing him hard and her tongue ever so lightly pushing between his lips. He allowed her access and her tongue began stoking the inside of his mouth, it was his turn to moan, her tongue was magic, why did he find that shocking? Everything about her was magic.

Hermione moved away from his lips and started kissing down his broad chest. His hands undid her hair that was carefully put up by her that morning. She was beautiful with her hair down; and when her hair was wet. Hermione was now kissing and licking her way across his chest; she stopped at his nipples and flicked her tongue over each of them in turn. He dug his hands in her hair enjoying the sensations that she made his body feel. It was amazing. She kissed her way back up his chest and to his lips, she pulled away and paused looking at his face.

Many emotions could be seen in her face; she was laying them all out on the line with him. She was allowing him to see her in the most vulnerable position, she was not going to be just naked with him, it was not going to be only flesh on flesh; she was laying it all out in front of him and giving herself to him fully. He wanted to give her the same. He was going to give her the same. The events that were unfolding were going to change their lives, there was no going back. This was something stronger than the two of them… Dare he say it? Yes, he dared… This was love. He felt it, and the way she was looking at him she felt it too. Neither one of them said it though; words were not enough to describe the moment, so why waste them.

Hermione lifted her hands above her head allowing him to take off her dress. He let his hands softly caress her legs as he moved them towards the seam of the dress that hiked up while they were sitting on the couch. He slowly began pulling the dress upward; his hands stroking her skin, skimming over the lace of her panties, across her slightly bulging stomach, up her satin sides, cupping over her full breast and lastly over her toned, tanned arms. He pulled the dress over her head and her beautiful brown hair; it fanned over her shoulders. He threw the dress on the floor. "Hermione, you are the most beautiful thing I have ever seen." He whispered across her skin as he kissed her lips again.

Knowing there was not enough room on this couch for everything he wanted to do to her, he picked her up in his arms, and began walking to her bed. As he walked her the few feet to the bed, he did not take his eyes off of hers. He softly laid her on the bed and stared at her for a moment wanting to remember every inch of her. "Sirius, I want you." She said in a husky, longing whisper. His body reacted to the request and his cock strained in his pants. Ooh god, he wanted her too.

Slowly he lowered himself on top of her. He kissed her again, but it was not soft, it was hard, passionate and full of hunger, he even bit her lip as he pulled away. Her eyes glazed over; something new taking over her body. She pulled him back down to her lips and kissed him back just as hard. Her nails raking over his bare back, making him growl. He tried to pull back, but she wrapped her legs around him pinning their bodies together. Her hands ran down his back and across his sides; her fingertips only grazing the skin and making him half mad.

His tongue and her tongue were dancing inside of their mouths both trying to find dominance; something that Sirius was not liking, but enjoying all the same. He needed to find a way to take back control from her, right now; he wanted to make love to her his way! As he continued to kiss her, he ran his right hand up and down her thigh, making her purr. It was a beautiful sound. He did the same with his left, running it up and down her thigh, up her sides and across the pink lace that covered her breast. He wanted to have his lips and tongue on them. Her purring got louder as he flicked over her hard nipples and she sucked in a deep breath. For a brief moment she stopped kissing him and got lost in the sensations he was making her feel. He smiled to himself. He kissed over her lips, down her cheek and jawline, to her collarbone and across her chest. Her hand grabbed for his trying to steady herself as his tongue began to trace lines from her neck to her left nipple, across the chest and back up to the neck. It was slow and torturous; just as he wanted it. She began arching on the bed.

Her free hand was running itself down his back and getting ever so closer to his waistband on his pants. Every time her hand got closer to unbuttoning his fly his body shivered. His mind began racing with thoughts of exactly what his body was going to do to hers once he was free of the clothing constraints. Sirius stopped his ministrations and focused on her right breast, he took the nipple through her bra in his mouth and sucked lightly, Hermione moaned, and arched a bit. His tongue then ran circles around it completely wetting the cup, her pink nipple straining against the lacy fabric. She moaned louder pushing his head down urging him to give her more, he did, Sirius switchiedfrom his lazy circles to sucking on her nipple, and then bit her. She jerked up and moaned. He hoped she was picturing him doing the same thing lower down.

Sirius switched to the other breast and did the same thing. Hermione began withering on the bed, erotic sounds coming out of her mouth. He wanted more; he pulled back and tore the bra down the middle freeing her. He kissed up her body to her lips where he gave her a slow and sensual kiss. "More," she begged almost breathless. Sirius again kissed his way down her body and stopped at her breast, rather than slow lazy circles he sucked and nibbled on each of them. Hermione was withering on the bed, moaning and arching up trying to get more contact with him and her skin, her hands knotting in his hair pushing him to her skin. He loved it.

Slowly he took his right hand and ran it down her side, over her thigh, down the outside of her leg and then as excruciating as possible he traced his hand up the inside of her leg, as he inched closer to her center, her breath became more rapid and her thrashing wilder. He repeated this process as his mouth busied itself at her chest and neck.

"Sirius… Please…" She panted after he repeated the process about five times.

"Yes, Hermione?" He asked kissing his way back up to her neck. He buried himself in the nape of her neck, her hair smelt divine; his teeth grazing her collarbone. She said nothing, just moaned again. He moved his hands to the inside of her thighs where he could feel the heat radiating off of her core. He let his fingers dance on the inside of her thighs; she opened her legs wider for him, her body begging for a touch.

"Sirius…" She moaned again.

"Yes?" He said again.

"I want…" She began; he dragged his hand over her core on top of her panties. She moaned louder.

"What do you want, Hermione?" He asked her.

"I want…" He sucked on the nape of her neck, the same spot his teeth were previously grazing. "I want more, Sirius." She begged. "I need more." She stated. He pulled back and looked at her beautiful face. There was no way to describe what he saw, it was the most exquisitely sexual thing he every witnessed. Her skin seemed to be glowing, a lovers blush was what he was seeing, her eyes glazed over with pleasure, her lips beautifully pink, swollen and inviting. He wanted to devour every inch of her, take what she was giving him, and enjoy every taste.

"Hermione," he said stroking her cheek, "show me where you want me." He said looking at her. "Take my hand and show me." He said. Her eyes grew wide and she seemed hesitant, he lowered his lips to hers and kissed her. It was long and slow and made him both dizzy and breathless. Hermione took his hand and brought it to her lips where she kissed it, and then kissed him again, and then ever so slowly she moved it down across her body, her hand on top of his.

He allowed her to take control, not wanting her to panic and try to prevent the magical moment from happening. He wanted her to be as comfortable with him as possible. He wanted her to want it just as bad as he wanted it. Finally, their hands stopped moving as she placed his hand right on top of her core. He could tell that she was soaked and was ready for him to enter her, but what fun would that be? He wanted it to be slow, torturous and something she would always remember. Slowly he began moving the palm of his hand in a circular motion right on top of her center through her panties. She moved with him, increasing the contact and helping him hit the perfect spot. She could not prevent her body from vibrating.

"More." She demanded. "More, Sirius." She said. Stopping what he was doing, he slowly pulled her last remaining clothing off her body letting it fall on the floor. He looked over her body drinking her in with his eyes. She must've realized what he was doing because she moved her hands to cover herself.

"Don't Hermione!" He said pushing them out of the way. "I think you are beautiful, and I want to take a moment to look at you in this intimate position." She did not make a move to cover herself again, he smiled. She was stunning, the way her hair was fanned out on the white sheets of the bed, the rosy glow that emanated from her body. He ran his hand through her hair, down to her nose, over her lips, down her chest, over her breast, over her expanding belly, she was beginning to show and he loved the little bump she was sporting. To let her know he accepted her the way she was baby and all, he placed a kiss on the fullest part of her stomach. She sighed and smiled. Sirius finished by running his hand down her legs and gently pulling them apart.

He situated himself at the foot of the bed on the floor to where he could focus on pleasing her, but still seeing her glorious face. He moved his lips back to her belly and kissed down until he reached her center, and as softly as he could muster he flicked his tongue over her core, she roared and jerked up. He knew she was on the brink of coming and he wanted to push her over the first time with his mouth. Again he flicked his tongue over her core, and she jerked; he tried holding her body in place. He then began circling her center with his tongue; all sorts of erotic sounds came from her. With ever lick, suck and nibble, he pushed her closer and his cock grew tighter in his pants. Hermione wove her hands in his hair, her body going crazy. Sirius taking cues from her body's reaction increased his pace, and began sucking faster and harder. The sounds coming from her encouraged him to continue; he did; his pace increasing, and her body straining to stay together. He continued what he was doing and out of nowhere, she exploded. She shrieked out his name as she violently came, her body trembling. Sirius did not slow down, but continued at his same pace, coaxing her orgasm out as long as possible.

When she came down off of the high she was on he kissed his way back up her body and kissed her lips. She kissed him back, the way her lips moved told him she wanted more, that she was far from finished. They both were breathless but neither one of them cared. "Sirius… That was… I have… No words…" She whispered against his neck. Her hands roamed down his body as they held onto each other. She discovered his hard cock pressed tight against his pants.

Slowly and erotically she began rubbing it up and down. The friction that was caused made him buck into her and she laughed. She continued what she was doing, his cock straining, wanting to explode. She seemed to recognize that. "Sirius… I want this inside of me." She responded, unbuttoning his pants and pulling them down along with his underwear. His cock sprang free into Hermione's hand. She rubbed her hand across the head of it making him groan.

"Sirius Black, make love to me." She whispered in his ear, tugging on the earlobe with her teeth. She didn't need to ask twice. As tender as possible he slowly slid into her. They both moaned in unison. God, it felt so good. She felt heavenly on him. He waited allowing her to get used to his size, and then slowly he moved out of her and then back in. They moaned together again. He repeated this motion going slow and sinfully in and out of her. He watched her face with every small trust; each trust made her face spark in pleasure. She began moving with him increasing their pace and the speed of his thrusts. She arched into him, wrapping her legs around him. They moved faster, their faces buried in each other's neck, their hands joining together. With their bodies acting as guides they adjusted their paces moving faster and with deeper thrusts, noises coming from the both of them; the sounds lovers made with each other. He knew when she was teetering on the edge of oblivion, he was too. He quickened their pace their bodies rocking and arching into each other and in unison they came he screaming out her name, and his coming off her lips in a whisper. It felt like fireworks exploding, an awakening in his body that he never felt before, a release he never thought was possible. They held on tighter to each other as they both rode on the erotic waves of passion. It felt like it was never going to end; he didn't want it to. He wanted to stay in this suspension for the rest of his life; the two of them joined together.

Life and love did not get any better than this he thought as he collapsed beside her. He kissed her on the forehead as he looked in her brown orbs, tears were shimmering. He kissed her lips softly. She smiled. They stayed like that lying side by side for the longest time. He wanted to know what she was thinking, but he didn't want to ruin the moment with words. He brushed some hair out of her face and he saw a tear escape. "Hermione, my darling, what are you thinking?" He asked. She was silent for a while, and then kissed him again before she spoke.

"Sirius, I never knew it could be like that. I didn't know such heights were possible. I never felt anything like that before. And it wasn't just the sex, but there was love behind it. I could see it in your eyes; I felt it in every kiss, touch and caress. It was so overwhelming and powerful. It was beautiful." She pushed a strand of his hair out of his eyes so she could see clearly into them. He knew what she was talking about because he felt it too. He felt it in the late hours of the night before, before they made love.

"Sirius, did you feel it?" She asked him, more tears shimmering in her eyes. "Please tell me you felt that." She begged.

He grabbed her hand and kissed each one of her fingers and then kissed her forehead. "Hermione Jean Granger, I love you and I just made love to you." He said with a smile. He had no shame in saying it; he knew she needed to hear it. He knew that she needed to know that there was something so much more between them.

She began crying openly, curling her head into his neck. He wrapped her up in his arms. "There is no need to fear, my love, I will never hurt you. I love you. I know I've loved you for the longest time." He said in her ear, as he kissed her neck. He held her until the early morning hours and she cried all of her tears. He had no idea what she was crying for, he could only imagine, but he figured she was crying for the past and everything she lost. Maybe, even crying for the fear she felt entering into this new future…

Once she stopped she kissed her way up his chest, erotically flicked her tongue over his nipple, and grazed her teeth on his jaw line. She kissed her way up to his ear where she whispered, "Sirius Orion Black, I love you too."

They said nothing more, because nothing more needed to be said. Hermione and him moved around on the bed to where they could lay comfortable, and then she curled up next to him, her body lazily half on his; he kissed her goodnight, and she kissed him back, and then with a sigh, they both entered into dreamland, a new dream both set in their sights.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: JKR owns the HP world. **

**A/N: Sorry it took so long for the next update, but I had a wedding this weekend and it kept me really busy... And I also had a marketing plan due today for a company that hired me... So now that my schedule is clear up a bit, I can be back to writing and sharing my stories with you all. **

**Thank you all for the great reviews on chapter 12... I was really nervous about sharing it with you all... But it seemed like you all loved it... So thank you all... And I totally love you all that read it and reviewed...**

**So here we go and now we have Chapter 13... More Hermione / Sirius! Hope you all love it. **

**Happy Reading... Review please! **

**Aftermath: Chapter 13**

Hermione woke up next to Sirius and smiled. Her mind kept thinking it was too good to be true. There was no way possible her and Sirius were together last night. They had firm boundaries in place since the beginning, but she never figured they would be crossed. She never ever figured that she would even be attracted to him, yet as she stretched out her body next to Sirius she was glad that it happened. He was so sweet, kind and gentle with her. She remembered the way he kissed her stomach; it was such a small, yet magnificent gesture. This made her happy; being lost in that moment made her happy. She gently kissed him. He sighed in his sleep and wrapped his arms around her.

She wanted to crawl out of his grasp and make his something extraordinary for breakfast, but she couldn't, his hold on her was too tight. She just snuggled her head to his chest and sighed. She still had a lot of things to think about, especially Ron and their baby. She didn't want him to know about it. She wanted it to be hers, not her and Ron's. But being a single mother was not easy. The baby needed a father figure. She was not stupid; she wanted a man to influence her daughter or son.

Maybe, just maybe the answer was closer than she thought. Maybe, she was wrapped in the arms of the answer. He was so supportive and caring. He took care of her and she knew she could trust him. But she just couldn't wake him up and say, 'hey you want to be my baby's father.' She could not ask that of him, it was not fair. And what about all the others? She could not stay gone forever, no matter how much she wanted to. A year from now, two years for now, god if her son or daughter was accepted into Hogwarts, sooner or later she would run into Harry, Ron, Ginny, somebody.

There were too many questions in her head that she had no answers too. It bugged her, but this was not something she could easily look up in a book, no matter how much she wished she could… Her mind was too full and her body too tired. Rather than worry about something she could worry about later she decided to follow Sirius' lead and fall back to sleep. She was locked in a moment that was far too precious for it to end.

XXXXX

Slowly Sirius awoke from his somber sleep. But something felt different. No, this was not the comfortable bed that he was sharing with Hermione. No, everything was different. The room smelt musty, the bed hard, the place cold, and there was no happiness. There was despair and hatred and he was lonely and trapped. There was a clasp of thunder and a bolt of lightning that was all the confirmation he needed.

He jerked awak in the bed and realized what he hoped was not true; he was back in Azkaban, no, he never left. He jumped off the bed and cowered in his corner there he turned into his dog form. He wanted to cry and did. It all was just a dream… He never meant Harry or anyone else. He was trapped and was never getting out. He dreamed up the future, why didn't he realize that? Everything was too good to be true. He was not lucky enough to get the girl and have a wonderful life.

Why had he trusted, Wormtail? Why did he tell the Potter's location? Now they were all dead. He lost everything, just with one simple mistake. He yelled at the top of his lungs… He could not think of anything else to do…

XXXXX

Hermione jerked awake in the bed as a high pitched scream filled their home. It was Sirius, rather than having his arms draped around her pulling her close his arms were flailing on the bed. He had tears in his eyes, and was covered with sweat. She figured he was having a nightmare, but she didn't know what to do. She quickly realized that it was almost pitch black in the house and that it was pouring outside. The only light being a faint light shining from the moon. There was thunder and lightning. It had to be close to midnight. Sirius remained screaming and crying and she felt so helpless. She had to wake him up.

She reached for her wand and lit some of the lights in the room. The seemed to ease him some. She never had to deal with nightmares before. But she had to save him from the one he was in. Carefully she got off the bed and walked to the other side. Gently she put her hands on his shoulders to try to calm him. It made him panic more. She pulled her hands back. Helpless, in all of her life she never felt so completely helpless… Even with facing Voldemort, she knew spells, she was somewhat prepared… Now she didn't. She had nothing. She could do nothing, but seeing him there in so much pain, she needed to help him.

"Sirius," she said in a soft voice. "Sirius, you are having a nightmare, please wake up!" She asked. It soothed him none. "Sirius, I don't know what to do. Please wake up."

XXXXX

It came out of nowhere, the voice of an angel, his salvation. She was sad, upset and desperate. He tried to focus on her voice.

"Sirius, please wake up, love. Please." She was begging, yet her voice was soothing. Why was that? Trapped in this hell he never heard anything compared to it. But a part of him recognized it; he just didn't know what part. She spoke again, "Sirius, please. I don't know how to wake you up." Wake up? He couldn't wake up from this type of jail.

"SIRUS BLACK, WAKE UP!" The voice shouted and then he felt something sharp slap him across the face. His eyes flashed open and he saw her, his Hermione. It was all a dream. He projected himself off the bed and into her arms. He had no shame and he needed her comfort.

XXXXX

Hermione held onto Sirius as he drew comfort from her. She was so scared earlier for him. She knew that Harry had nightmares but she never had to deal with them first hand. She freaked a bit trying to come up with a way to wake him from his. Thankfully she came up with a way. She thought about the past few days, hell the past few months, it was always him comforting her. She needed him. She needed him to ease her aching heart and he did it. No questions asked and nothing asked in return. Now she was able to do the same for him. It made her feel more of his equal. She knew that men did not like showing weakness, no matter what they were weak from. She never considered being there for him in a way he was there for her, but there they were.

He laid his head in her lap and she stoked his head and back. She knew he was crying by his shallow breathing and her leg catching the tears. She would not make light of the fact that he was crying, and if he wished to pretend that he never was, she would go with it. But she would always remember this moment for the rest of her life. If she didn't love him before, this moment would've made her love him. But since she has loved him for quite a while, this moment just reaffirmed her love.

"I love you, Sirius." She whispered in his ear and then kissed his exposed back.

"I love you too." He muffled. There was silence and shortly after she mentioned she loved him, he stopped crying, but kept his face buried. The storm outside raged and she held onto him. Finally after what seemed like an hour he spoke, it was quite and she almost didn't hear him. "Do you think I'm weak?"

She wanted to slap him for thinking something so ridiculous, but she could tell that it was a genuine fear. "Sirius, please look at me." She said, slowly he pulled back. His face was red and puffy from crying. And his cheek was marred by her hand print from the way she slapped him. She took his face in her hands and gently kissed him. He was hesitant at first and then began kissing her back. She pulled him closer by snaking her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her back.

Slowly she pulled her naked self on top of his body wrapping her legs around him… When she was upset and hurting he took the time to show her love, exactly what she needed at the time. Now it was her turn. She needed to show him that she loved him even in his weakest moment. She broke the kiss and made a trail with her tongue down to his collarbone. There she kissed his skin and nipped at the bone there, a small moan escaped his lips. He did not protest so she went on. She kissed her way down his chest and over his nipples. Once at his nipples she nibbled on them making him arch his back a bit. She dug her nails into his back as she kissed her way back to his lips.

The kiss this time was different, a hunger replaced them. He wanted her and she knew he was getting turned on by the way his cock grew under her. Just the feel of it made her wet and ready to accept him. In life there were times when slow and easy was needed, and at other times, slow was at the opposite end of the spectrum. In this moment she knew that slow and easy was not what Sirius needed or wanted. He needed her, now. She kissed him hard on the lips and then repositioned herself so that the head of his cock was slightly inside of her. Ever so slowly she moved her hips and accepted his full, hard length inside of her.

The contact made him groan. She looked in his eyes; they were full of surprise and passion. She liked that mix on him. Bracing herself on his shoulders she began moving up and down. It was slow at first but she increased the pace when Sirius began bucking under her. She wanted nothing more than to make him come, and Hermione pretty much always got what she wanted. She began moving faster, he began moving with her on the bed. In a rush of passion, they both searched for each other's lips and found them. She kissed him hard sucking on his bottom lip. She nipped them and out of nowhere he came, hard and fast inside of her. His body went ridged as he got lost in the moment, but she kept riding him until she found her own release. When both of their orgasms finished Sirius fell back on the bed taking her with him.

Once she found her voice again she looked at him and kissed him softly. "Sirius, I never will see you as weak. We are human, and we have nightmares. Not too long ago you were doing the same for me. You saved me and now I got a chance to save you. It makes me feel useful getting a chance to be your hero. I love you, Sirius. I mean that. You have horrors in your past, we both do. So if there is an occasional nightmare, together we will deal with it. Understand?" She asked him.

"Understood. I love you too. And I will." He responded. His answer made her kiss him again. Their kissing led to so much more, but Hermione did not complain. She loved it when they were together, meeting as one. She loved Sirius and she loved making love with him. There was something powerful in it; something powerful and magical. The feelings he gave her, the way he made her feel, was something she never felt with anyone else. With Ron it was always rushed, fast, get them to their climax and then doing it again. But the way Sirius explored her body and the way she explored him. It was like it was the first time together every time.

She didn't think there would ever come a day where she did not want him. That she wouldn't want his hands, lips and tongue all over her body; inside and out. She always wanted him; now and forever. Her worries for earlier still fresh in her mind didn't seem to matter when she was with him like this and they were together. The only thing that did matter was the sensations she felt and the love they shared.

Again Sirius pushed her over the edge and she came hard her nails digging into his back and drawing blood, he howled an erotic sound and came with her. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. "I love you." She moaned and he grinned. He laid his head on her chest and listened to her heart beating. She could feel his drum, as well. Slowly as their breathing evened their heart beats did too.

"I'm hungry." He said out of nowhere. "What time is it?" He asked. Hermione chucked. It had been at least twenty-four hours since they last ate. She rolled him off of her and looked at the time.

"One fifty-two in the morning, Sirius. What would you like to eat?" She asked turning back to him and kissing him.

"Eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, hash browns, mushrooms, and maybe toast. Humm…. And maybe some orange juice and coffee, strong coffee." He responded.

Hermione chuckled at the thought of how delicious that all sounds. "I'm on it." She said getting out of the bed and pulling on her robe.

"No!" he demanded pulling the sleeve of her robe. "We both will do it naked. It is not like anyone can see us here." He said laughing and getting off the bed. They both walked over to the kitchen and began preparing the food. Sirius got out the pans and began making the sausage and bacon while she chopped the mushrooms. Every once in a while as they cooked he would kiss her, or she would run her hand down his arm. It was sweet and normal.

They made breakfast and then together set the table; it was almost three when they sat down. It seemed exhausting to make such a large meal and she was sure that some of it would go to waste. Her fears of that subsided when Sirius began filling his plate full of the meal they prepared. She in turn filled up hers and realized that she was ravished. She at one plate of food and then filled up her plate a second time. She didn't understand why the food tasted so much better at 3:30am, but it did. Sirius laughed at her as she tore through her second plate of pancakes.

She loved the simpleness of the moment. It seemed perfect, a man and a woman sitting at their table sharing breakfast. In her youth she struggled to find the simpleness. Even at home, her parents were strict. They denied her many joys in life because she was their only daughter and they wanted to protect her. She wondered if they got their way and protected her from Hogwarts how her life would be at that very moment. The answer was easy enough; she would be a dentist, probably still living at home. There were times when she wished she had that life that could've been. Fighting Voldemort was not easy feat, but then there were moments like this, more often than not, that she was glad her parents made the decision to allow her to go to Hogwarts. Sitting there in the kitchen in that moment she had troubles imagining her life without Sirius Black in it.

How did it happen? How did all of her thoughts and dreams now center on one man and a promise she wished he would make to her? She was never one to dream a dream, it was illogical, yet stuck in this very moment she was dreaming a dream about the two of them that would last an eternity.

XXXXX

Sirius Black looked at Hermione across the table, she was beautiful and he was trying to figure out when the fates decided to favor him. Never before did he think something like this was possible, yet it was. They were there together lost in a moment, a moment he never wanted to end. He knew what he wanted to do and what he wanted to ask her, but he wanted the moment to be right. This moment was almost perfect, but it could be better. He wanted to ask her at the perfect time. He would know it when it happened. Maybe the thought of asking her to marry him was irrational, but then again he lived an irrational life, he ran with his gut and only his gut. It was his only driving factor. When the moment was right, he would ask her to be his wife and there was no doubt in his mind that she would accept. They loved each other. It might look odd on the outside because of their age difference, but he didn't think that mattered. Nothing mattered when you were in love. And when problems arise, like she mentioned earlier with the dreams, they would deal with them together. Their life would be together.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: JKR owns everything, this is just my take on her wonderful world.**

**A/N: I just wanted to thank all of my readers that continue on this wonderful journey with me. Hermione and Sirius are a wonderful couple and I am glad that I can write a story with them that you all enjoy. I cannot wait to share with you all my stories after this that are based on this story. **

**Thank you for the reviews and the likes / alerts. **

**Happy Reading!**

**Aftermath: Chapter 14**

When the two of them finished breakfast the sun was slowly rising in the sky. They cleaned their plates and did the dishes. Once they finished with them they both took a shower. They both were very glad that the shower allowed for more than one person and had enough room allowing them to enjoy themselves. Once they finished they wrapped themselves in big fluffy towels and walked back to their bed. It was after eight in the morning, but they both were tired. It was easy to snuggled together and sleep.

Sirius woke up during the early noon hours. Hermione was wide awake looking at him with the most interesting look on her face. He kissed her on the forehead and smiled. "How long have you been up?" He asked.

"About an hour. I am not sure. It is so easy to get lost in these quiet little moments with you. I love you."

"And I love you too, Hermione." He sighed. He sensed there was more on her mind than what she was leading on. "Hermione?" He asked.

"Yes?"

"What is on your mind?" He asked. He thought the question was simple enough, but he was not prepared for the answers.

"I don't want to mess up something as amazing as this with my thoughts." She sighed.

"Is something bothering you, love?" He asked. She did not answer. "I know that something is bothering you. Why must you put it off? It is better to say it now and then we can move on with the rest of our afternoon."

"I don't want to bring it up right now. It is very confusing for me." She said, which only confused him.

"Do you regret the past few days? Were you not ready for it?" His voice was filled with emotion; he was silently praying she said no. He didn't know how he would react if she said yes. He looked into her brown eyes.

"Not at all, Sirius. I am glad that it happened, when it happened. I needed it, you needed it." She responded. "As good as it was, and trust me it was amazing, it only delayed my thoughts about… Well, about the baby."

"About the baby?" Sirius guessed he was under the impression that they were just going to raise it together. "What is there to worry about?" He asked.

She pulled back and sat on the bed. "There is a lot, Sirius." She sighed and dove right in. "Do I tell Ron? How am I going to raise it? How am I going to answer any questions that might arise? How will my friend respond if I ever go back toting a child? What happens when he or she goes to Hogwarts? Who is going help me raise it? I know that I can do some things alone, but I am smart enough to know that a child needs both a mother's and a father's influence." She sighed again, "and there is so much more."

Sirius was shocked. He guessed he was under the wrong impression. Why does she need Ron, when she has him? Couldn't the baby be theirs? That is what he wanted; didn't she want the same thing? "What about Ron? Why do you need him?" He pressed.

"He is the father, Sirius. I need to know how to handle him."

"Why does he need to be the father? Only you and I know that? How do you think he would react by having a baby dropped in his lap? 'Hey Ron! Look here, I just had you baby? You wanna raise it with me?'" He mocked. He knew he shouldn't, but he was upset.

"I don't know how he would react to having a baby. He knew I wanted one, but he never really told me how he felt." Hermione said a bit upset. "I mean I think he would've told me if he didn't want one. He knew that I wanted one right after we married."

"Yeah, like he never kept anything from you before, Hermione." He sighed and got off the bed. "I think that I should take a walk right now, I don't want to say something I might later regret. " He threw on his pants and walked out the door.

Once out in the fresh air he didn't feel so suffocated. Why couldn't she see that he wanted to be with her and raise her baby? He loved her, and he knew he could magically adopt the baby. He looked into it before when he lived in Spain. He was curious and thought about maybe settling down and starting a family; at least having a son. He wanted a son, and he wanted a daughter. He wanted a house full of children all laughing and screaming.

In Azkaban he never thought he could have a future, and once he was out, a family was not the first thing on his mind. But all of the traveling, living alone, having no one to share his thoughts with, or to love him, it was horrible. He knew he wouldn't be the most compelling person to adopt a child, but he lied using magic before and he would do it again, if he could have a chance to live out his new dream.

He thought he was going to get that with Hermione. Maybe, he was delusional. He should've known she would not want to have a child with him. His past alone was scarred with pain and suffering, he was not a good man, and the last thing he was worthy of was a life with a child and love. Nope, he did not deserve that. If Hermione wanted to run back to Ron and be a big happy family and live out a fake life, filled with mistrust and dishonesty, he would let her. It would hurt, but he still would let her. Who was he to stop her? He just loved her. But he was not a normal man, he was Sirius Black, murderer.

XXXXX

Hermione laid on the bed in disbelief. Sirius just walked out on her, and she couldn't fathom why. He was angry about something and she didn't know what. Maybe it was Ron. Ron was a testy subject for her too, but she didn't go trooping off mad at the mention of his name. But what else would make him so irritated?

She knew that she shouldn't have brought up the baby until she figured out what she was going to do about it. She huffed and rolled off the bed. She pulled out some clothing and went to the bathroom, maybe a cold shower would help clear her mind a bit.

Once in the water she thought back to the conversation, one line plaguing her memory: '_Yeah, like he never kept anything from you before, Hermione._' She tried to search her mind for any conformation that Ron might've wanted a child. The talked about it before, and he knew that she wanted a baby, but he never came out and said he wanted a baby. When Harry and Ginny told them they were having a baby, Hermione was thrilled and began planning the shower, but Ron seemed put off a bit. She tried remembering back to Victorie's birth. They all passed around the baby after it was born, but Ron refused to hold it. Come to think of it, he never really played with Teddy whenever they met up with Remus and Tonks.

She wanted to punch something. She didn't have to ask him to know it was true. She was blinded sometime in the past, especially with things she didn't want to realize. She never wanted to face facts that Ron was not ready to be married, and he was not ready to play daddy. He never would be. She didn't want her child to face rejection from its father; she was not going to fuck up her child like that.

But, that still left the problem. The baby needed a father figure. And then it hit her like a ton of bricks, the realization was a powerful one, but it explained so much. Sirius wanted to be her baby's father. How could she not have seen that? The way he comforted her after she found out, the sweet way he would kiss her stomach making love, or even the way he would rest his hand on her expanding belly as they slept. No wonder he stalked out of the house.

She quickly turned off the water and wrapped up in a towel. She marched out of the house in it and began walking up the path to the town.

"Uh… Excuse me, Hermione, but are you aware you are stalking off to town in a towel?" An amused voice behind her said. She spun around and saw Sirius sitting on the chair on the patio out front. She walked right past him. Her face flushed.

"I was looking for you, Sirius. I needed to ask you something and it couldn't wait." She responded walking over to him.

"It couldn't wait a few moments so you could throw on a dress or something?" He asked her chuckling. "It must be very important if you couldn't wait." He looked at her. She noticed that his eyes were glassy and looked as if he had been crying. She wanted to kick herself. "So uh… What is it that you wanted to ask me?"

"Sirius, do you want my baby?" She blurted out. "You know, like you be the dad, while I am the mum."

He looked at her in disbelief. She clearly caught him off guard. "Well… Um… I… I am not the best person to be a father. With my past and all." He said looking away. She pulled his face back.

"Sirius Black! Would you love this baby as your own? Would you care for it and care for me? Would you change the diapers, and feed it the bottles? Would you teach it to play ball, and how to walk and talk? Would you hold my hand as we wave goodbye as the child boards the Hogwarts Express? WOULD YOU LOVE MY BABY?" She pressed.

His face changed. It went from hurt and angry to glowing and glad. His face lit up and his eyes twinkled with tears. Out of nowhere he pulled her in and kissed her hard on the lips. "YES! YES! YES!" He shouted. "I want it all. I want the diapers, and the bottles, I want to teach it how to talk and show it how to play poker. I'll buy it their first broom and teach him or her how to play Quidditch. I want it all. I want you and I want the baby. I want everything that comes with it; the good and the bad. I will be with you forever."

It was then that he surprised her yet again. He reached into the bag he kept around his neck and pulled out a little black box. He then got down on one knee and pulled it open, "Hermione, I wanted to ask you this earlier, but I wanted to wait for the right time. Now I feel that it is. As I kneel on the front porch of our home I asked you: Hermione Jean Granger, would you do me the greatest honor and be my wife?"

He opened the box and she saw an oval shaped gold ring. The center of the ring was web like with black onyx pieces scattered on the intertwined branches. She had never seen nothing like it before. It was exquisite and it looked to be the prefect size.

She smiled and began crying, ooh how she wanted this. She never thought that she would be able to love someone again, more than that she never thought she could trust a man again, but she knew with all of her heart she could trust and love Sirius Black.

"Are those tears good or bad?" He asked. She focused her eyes back on him and tried clearing her throat.

"Yes, Sirius Black, it would do me great pleasure to be your wife." He got up and put the ring on her finger then he kissed her deeply and spun her around in a circle making the towel fall off. They both began laughing.

"Now let's go and get changed, I am taking you out to dinner tonight to celebrate." Sirius said with a smile. Hermione was so happy at that moment that she wished she had someone to share it with. The realization that she didn't hurt her, she would've loved to give Ginny or Tonks a ring and share her great news. She needed her friends back; no she wanted some of them back. She would have them back to help her with her wedding.

It was weird because she was so angry with them all about hiding things for Ron; she never thought she would want them back in her life. But now that her and Sirius was having a baby, and they were going to be married; she wanted to share it with them, and gloat somewhat. Sirius and Ron were not even in the same spectrum. Sirius was a thousand times better than Ron could ever been. Life was good and she wanted to let her friends know that her life was amazing and that was without Ronald Weasley.

Once they both were dressed they walked arm in arm to Miadanise. He held the door open for her. A familiar face greeted them.

"Hello, guys." The young hostess named Rina greeted them. "You usual table I presume." She said grabbing two menus.

"How are you tonight Rina?" Hermione asked as she led them to the table in the back.

"Wonderful, the rain we had really helped my garden. I was out there digging around until I had to come to work." She laughed. "Rija is working tonight. He will be right over." She said placing the menus on the table. She walked back to her podium and Sirius held out her chair. He was still glowing from happiness. She was too. After he sat Rija came walking over.

"Good evening, Mrs. Black, Mr. Granger. What can I get you to drink?" He asked.

"We would enjoy your passion fruit and guava juice, and some coffee, please." Sirius ordered.

"Wonderful. And to eat?" He asked.

"Whatever is the house special tonight." Sirius said. "And surprise us with an appetizer." He handed over the menus and smiled.

"Yes sir." Rija said walking away. He came back quickly with their drinks. She took a big swallow of her juice. It always tasted so fresh.

She looked across the table at Sirius and smiled. She knew they had tons to talk about, but she didn't know where to start or what to say.

"Miss. Granger, what are you thinking about?" He asked smiling sitting down his coffee cup.

"Mr. Black, I am thinking about all the plans that have to be made. You see, I really don't want to have a long engagement. I want something short. I cannot wait to be Mrs. Sirius Black." She said.

"You know I was thinking the same thing. I don't want to wait long, if I had a choice we would get married tonight, but I want you to have a special wedding." He said taking her hands and kissing them. "Anything you want you can have." He said with a smile. She was just about to reach over and kiss him when she heard another familiar voice.

"SB, Jean!" Mindy walked over dragging Joseph. "It is nice running into you here." She said grinning. Hermione figured by the look on her face and that on Joseph's that this was not a coincidental meeting.

"Hello, Mindy, Joseph. How are you two tonight?" Hermione asked.

"Ooh we are just fine. I didn't feel like cooking tonight so we decided to go out for dinner." Hermione smiled, Mindy was her usual bubbly self.

"Mindy, darling, it looks like we caught them in a private moment, let's go and get seated." Joseph said blushing. "Let's not interrupt."

"Nah, you are not interrupting anything, we are actually celebrating, so please sit and join us." Sirius offered.

"Celebrating? What?" Mindy asked as Joseph pulled up a few chairs. They both sat down and placed and order with Rija. They said nothing until their drinks came to the table along with appetizers. "So what are you two celebrating?" She asked looking at the two of them.

"Two things actually." Hermione offered, "but first we have some things we think you should know." Hermione was not sure why she had a need to tell them the truth, but with a look at Sirius who shook his head, she began talking. Maybe it was because she valued their friendship too much to lie to them anymore, she just knew she had to tell them the truth about everything.

Together the two of them explained the events that led up to her trip here, and why she lied. They told the two of them everything not leaving out any small details. Some of the more private things they kept to themselves, but everything else was shared. Once they finished they looked at the two of them with smiles. They said nothing and she figured this was the time they both would bolt and slash contact with them. Hermione took a drink of her juice to have something to do.

"I told you Joseph. She has changed her look a bit, with the hair and all, but I told you that was the Hermione Granger that helped defeat you-know-who." Mindy said her face filled with a childlike glee. Hermione spit her juice all over Sirius' shirt.

"WHAT?" She and Sirius asked together. "You know you-know-who?" Sirius asked.

"Everyone in the magical world knows of the darkest wizard of all times." Joseph said.

"How?" Was all that Hermione could ask.

"Well, I met Mindy at a wizarding school in the states, Hexton's Society of Young Witches and Wizards. It is a very small school founded by Gregory G.P. Hexton, some hundred years ago."

"I read about that school. There is only ten students admitted each year, it is highly exclusive. You both are very lucky to go there." Hermione said.

"We both got accepted there some twenty years ago. It is ten years of magical education the last three focusing on university training. While there I decided that I wanted to be a muggle doctor with hopes of using some magical means to help create new medications. When Voldemort returned he was scouting the United States. He got records from our school and began seeking out those that went there. Fearing for our own safety we fled. He never did come to this island, and he never found us."

The next four hours of the evening were filled with their chatter about their wizarding lives. Schooling was very similar as were the tests and they even covered the same materials. It was wonderful to share yet another commonality. She knew that she and Mindy shared some connection, and that was magic. Surprisingly the four of got along well. After hours of talking the owners came over and told them it was closing time. All four of them chuckled as Sirius covered the bill.

"Ooh you almost forgot to share with us your news for celebrating." Mindy said as they walked out of the restaurant.

"Ooh we forgot. Sirius and I are having a baby, and we are getting married." Hermione said with a smile.

"That is worth celebrating, congratulations." Mindy said hugging them both. "We should get together Tuesday for coffee and discuss some plans for the wedding." She said.

"That sounds great. I would love to." Hermione said.

"And we are still on for the two on two game of Quidditch next weekend?" Joseph asked.

"Of course, I want to test out my Firebolt." Sirius said. They shared goodbyes and then they each departed to their own homes. Hermione checked her watch and noticed it was after three in the morning. She was exhausted. She yawned and laid her head on Sirius' shoulder as they walked home. With one swift movement Sirius picked her up in his arms and carried her home. Once there he helped her out of her dress and laid her on the bed. He got out of his clothes and then snuggled next to her. She wrapped his arms around her and she smiled.

"Goodnight, Sirius. I love you."

"Goodnight, Hermione. I love you too." She kissed him softly and then looked at the beautiful ring on her finger. It was amazing. For her it was the perfect end to the perfect day.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimed: JRK owns the HP World. **

**A/N: I must admit that sadly I've not been working as much as I once was on this story because I am so close to the end with the chapters and I don't want to see it end. But the good news is: I've already figured out the next story that goes along with this that I will be doing it. I've even done some character drafting... I really hope that once this story ends... And we move onto the next one... That all of you devoted readers will take that journey with me. **

**I had more wonderful reviews this time and I am very very very happy with your guy's reactions to it... And I love all of you that still continue tor read the story... **

**HAPPY READING!**

**Aftermath: Chapter 15**

"Tonks dear, you have to hurry up. Severus is waiting." Remus said as he threw the last contract into his bag.

"Remus, why must Teddy and I accompany you two on this business meeting?" Tonks complained from the bedroom. Remus knew she still had troubles getting along with Severus and she did find potion making to be very boring.

"Tonks, honey, trust me. You will have fun on this trip." Remus said walking into the room. He noticed that the two bags he told her to pack were now five. "Tonks you don't need this many bags." He said waving his hand.

"Well, how am I supposed to know what to pack for, you won't tell me where we are going."

"Tropical and only for a few days. Understand? Now cut this down to two bags and then we can go." Remus walked down the hall to Teddy's room and picked him up from his bed. He walked back down the hall of their flat to his and Tonks room and saw she only had two bags. "Was that so hard?" He asked.

"No, I just don't want to go with the two of you. And tagging along a teething Teddy. You are not going to get any work done."

"Well, this trip is more pleasure than business." Remus said with a smile. "Now, let's get going." He said taking her hand and apparating her to the apparation point where he had to meet Severus.

"You're late." Said a cold, hard voice from the shadows. "We need to get going. Did you call ahead?"

"Hello to you too Severus. Pleasant afternoon, correct?" Remus asked. There was a small huff. "No, I could not reach either of them. So we will go ahead with plan B." Remus said.

"Then get going, we are already behind and I have dinner plans tonight." He stated firmly.

"Give us fifteen and then you can follow." He responded. With a sigh he took Tonks' hand and apparated them to their location.

"Brilliant, Remus. It is pouring, Teddy is teething and cranky; you know how much he hates apparation." Tonks said.

Remus paid no attention to the complaining and walked her up the path to the little bungalow by the ocean. He walked them up to the patio getting them out of the rain. "Surprise." He shouted waving his hand at the window, "this is where Hermione and Sirius live." He looked at his wife and smiled, her face was full of surprise, but her eyes were not focused on him, they were focused on what was happening on the other side of the window. He looked in and began laughing. "Maybe I should've tried harder to contact them first, maybe a patronus next time." He stated.

"Remus… Is that… Hermione and Sirius… Together on that bed… In the middle of…" Her word trailed off, she was clearly embarrassed.

"Yes, darling, it seems that Hermione and Sirius know each other better than I thought." Remus answered his wife, and then began laughing. She struggled to keep Teddy's face pressed to her chest.

"Remus, that is not funny. How is that funny? They happen to be…" Her words stopped again, his wife was a bit faint at heart.

"Tonks, people have sex. It is a normal human function. We will just sit here and wait for them to finish and then we knock."

"And Severus, who will be here in ten minutes?"

"Well, I guess he will have to wait like the rest of us."

XXXXX

Sirius collapsed on top of Hermione and kissed her. "What a wonderful way to spend the morning. I would love to spend the rest of my life making love to you in this bed." Hermione blushed. "You are beautiful like this, Hermione. Makes me love you so much more."

"If that is even possible." She said with a chuckle. It was precious watching him take care of her all morning and afternoon. After an early morning love session, he made her breakfast in bed, which he then fed to her because he wanted to. Then he drew her a perfect temperature bath and let her soak in it for most of the morning allowing her to read a new book while he cleaned the house and did the dishes. He made her lunch as well, which they ate that together at the table. They then snuggled on the couch and watched a movie that they failed to finish, the movie finished right when they finished their second love session of the day. He was so sweet and caring with her.

She turned her head to the TV thinking she should stop the movie when she noticed them. There was three figures huddle together on the patio. They were in wizarding robes and one had bright pink hair. "Sirius, I think we have company." She said pointing to the window. He looked and then rolled off of her trying to cover her up with the blankest that were thrown on the floor.

"Crap!" He said getting off the bed and throwing on his pants. He threw a dress at her. "Get dressed, love. It seems that we will have more people for dinner." Hermione laughed. He was acting like a school child caught out of bed after hours; running around trying to clean the place up.

"Sirius, calm down." She pulled out her wand and waved it. Everything went back to normal. "See how easy that was. Now I am going to get dressed and you welcome our friends into our home. I will be out in a second." Hermione got up and walked into the bathroom where she looked at herself in the mirror. She took a deep breath trying to steady herself. She wanted friends back in her life, but she was not fully ready for this. There was so much that had changed in three months, she didn't know how to go about explaining things.

"Play it by ear, Hermione. They have to be here for a reason. And it is Remus and Tonks with Severus. I can trust them. I know I can." She said trying to calm her nerves. She quickly got dressed as she heard voices fill the other room. With a smile and a deep breath she walked out to join them.

"Errmeeeeeeee." A voice squealed. Before she knew it she had the thirty pound Teddy coming at her. Hermione smiled and laughed as she picked him up.

"Teddy! I've missed you!" Hermione said nuzzling him.

"Errmeee, miss you!" He said giving her a big hug and kissing her cheek. Tonks came over next and hugged her.

"We both have missed you. How are you? It is beautiful here by the way." Hermione smiled as she hugged the two of them. But she wondered what they were doing here, and how they knew about her location.

"Welcome to our little island paradise." She said looking at them.

"Hermione, it is nice to see you again." Remus said coming over to her and giving her a hug.

"It is nice to see you too, Remus. Hello Professor Snape." She said acknowledging the last person in the room.

"Miss. Granger." He inclined his head in her direction. "I see by the baffled look on your face you don't understand why we are here." He snarled. "I told you Remus the best way to contact her would be with an owl not phone." He shot a nasty, I-told-you-so look at him. "We are clearly here on business; which I would like to get to, I have other plans back in London for the evening." He looked around the room and saw the table. "Can we sit?" He started walking over to the table. Hermione smiled, that was the same old Severus Snape she had to deal with in school.

"Don't worry, I'll stay over here and keep Teddy occupied." Tonks said with a smile as she removed a wiggling Teddy from Hermione's arms.

The three of them followed Severus over to the table; they all sat down. "As you have probably surmised by now, Remus and I are here about the potion you sent in response to my ad in The Daily Prophet. We received a few applications, but yours was by far the best." Yup, it was him alright, short, sweet and to the point.

"As you know Severus and I are opening up a new chain of mail order potion apothecaries around Europe. October 31st is the grand opening of the shop in Diagon Alley, but by the start of the New Year we expect to be opening one up in Hogsmeade, Deathly Hallows and a few more in locations highly populated by wizards. These locations will sell high end potions both well known around the wizarding world, and also new potions created by us and the board." Remus added.

"Your amazing potion is just what we are looking for, you see the other half of the business is a mail order portion where witches and wizards with magical potion needs can fill out a application and we will create a potion specifically for them." Remus pulled out a stack of papers. "Each one of these is contract applications with requests that need to be filled. Currently before even opening we have around thirty orders that need attention. We are unable to meet all of these needs by ourselves and the other members of the board are not talented enough to create original potions, like you and Sirius here."

"Our board members are responsible for making the potions we sell, but we need partners that can help fill the orders we get. Of course this place is adequate enough for a potion chamber, and being so close to the ocean the dampness will be wonderful for the plants to grow. Where is your current potion chamber at?" Severus asked.

"It is not a chamber but more of a room, and it is through that door all the way in the back." Hermione responded.

"Good, Tonks I will need your assistance", he said pulling out his wand. "Give me a few moments and your will have a potion chamber that fills the bowels of your home." He said with a grin.

"Severus, don't you think we should wait until they agree." Pressed Remus.

"Don't worry, Lupin, they would be too stupid not to accept. Please fill them in on the board members and what would be expected of them. Get them to sign the contracts as well." He said.

Tonks brought over Teddy and was handing him to Remus. "NO! Me wat Errmeee." Teddy protested. Hermione held out her arms and accepted him. Hermione was a bit baffled by everything moving so fast. Somehow holding Teddy calmed her and helped her head focus.

"Am I allowed to ask some questions?" Hermione asked Remus.

"Of course, Hermione. I know everything seems to be moving so fast, but you know how Severus is." Remus responded.

"So you want me and Sirius to be your partners?"

"Yes, I have two board packets here for the each of you." He pulled out two thick binders. "I am sure that these will answer any of your questions."

"And what about compensation? And equipment? Materials? Ingredients?" Sirius asked.

"Of course you will be paid for your work. And you will be given a credit line through the company and one of our ordering catalogues we have compiled so you can order things you might need. We have dealers all around the world in the catalogue. Your potion chamber is also going to be stocked with the best of everything, I am sure Severus Snape brought all the equipment with him, and ingredients." Remus explained. "If you need something you cannot find, just contact us and we will find it."

"What about contracts? How many are we expected to fill?" Sirius asked.

"We will split them evenly four ways, you will be expected to fill them in a timely matter, but not in an order they are received. If you have a potion request to cure unsightly body warts and one that would permanently change the pigmentation of someone's skin. Work on the warts one first. Be logical about it. You will be able to work on more than one potion at a time." He responded.

"And the board?" Hermione asked; it was the most pressing question on her mind.

"Before I tell you who the members are, just know that they have singed a magically binding contract that prevents them from sharing any information with anyone outside of the board. They are not even allowed to shared information with their significant others." Remus started.

"Is Ron on the board, Remus?" She questioned.

"No, no, no. Of course not. He is not smart enough for that." Remus said. "The board members include: Bill Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Ernie MacMillian, Hannah Abbot, Theodor Nott, and Bridgette Celosia. I know that you are aware of the first five, Bridgette Celosia is actually hand-picked by Severus Snape, a very recent Hogwarts Graduate; she just finished her seventh year this May and was a Slytherin. She is very beautiful and smart and excels wonderfully at potions. I've seen her work. Severus has taken her under his wing and made her his apprentice." Remus said.

Hermione was silent as she thought it over. Bill Weasley would surely make her feel uncomfortable, but she could deal with that. She was friendly with Neville and Hannah, and back in the day Ernie was a member of the DA. As for Theodor Nott she knew he was only in Slytherin House and his father was a Death Eater. The question was: could she work with them? And the work load? She was sure there would be a lot, and she was expecting a baby in about five months. She looked at Sirius.

"Do you think you would be able to carry some of my work load if I become unable to the closer I get to my due date? And after the baby is born?" She knew she dropped the bomb when she heard a little gasp from Remus. She would explain later.

"Yes, of course I could. I know that some of the fumes from a few potions could be dangerous to you right now, I would check into it, but I am sure that together we both can do it." He said kissing her.

"So do I have your answers?" Remus pressed breaking up the lip lock. Hermione smiled and blushed almost forgetting he was in the room with them.

"If Sirius is okay with it, then so am I." She responded looking at her friend.

"Okay, let me get the contracts." Hermione watched as he got in his bag and pulled out a pile of papers. He separated the pile in half and put one in front of each of them. "I must warn you these are magically binding, breach of contract without consent from Severus or I will result in minor losses of magical powers. You guys can take some time to look them over if you wish." Remus said.

"Remus both Sirius and I trust you and Severus. We are sure that these are up front with no hidden clauses, but just to be on the safer side, we would like to look over them and then sing them tomorrow." Hermione said.

"I agree." Sirius said taking his contract and Hermione's; he put them on the bed side table.

"Teddy, love, are you hungry?" Hermione asked him.

"Meeee food pwease. Eyew ungrrrry." He said. She smiled and gave him a big kiss. "Icky Errmee." He said wiping his hands down his face. Everyone at the table laughed.

"I am going to get started on dinner. Why don't you two go and help Severus and send up Tonks." Hermione said smiling as she sat Teddy on the counter. She began preparing shepherd's pie for everyone. Tonks joined her shortly and began cutting up peaches for the cobbler and she filled her in on the progress of the potion chamber. Hermione smiled figuring the three of them would probably kill each other while they try to get it situated.

Hermione called for dinner and three dusty men came out of the back of the house. Tonks and Hermione had a nice table sat for everyone, even conjured a highchair for Teddy. "Wash your hand's boys." Hermione said. "And Severus, please stay for dinner?"

"I guess I could, my plans are for later this evening, as long as I am back in London by ten it should be just fine. Thank you for the offer." He replied waiting behind Remus and Sirius to wash his hands.

"We made more than enough." The five of them sat down and began eating. The conversation was kept light and enjoyable, even Severus Snape laughed at some of Sirius' hijinks while in Spain. Sirius and Remus cleared the table and Tonks and Hermione began serving desert. It was then the conversation change.

"Miss. Granger that is an interesting ring on your finger there." Severus said as she put the cobbler on the plate. She forgot that she had it on. She looked at Sirius who was grinning.

"The cat is out of the bag now; Hermione and I are getting married!" He almost shouted it. She could tell he was bursting at the seams to share it. But he was far from finished, "and we are having a baby!" The room erupted. Even Severus Snape shared some congratulations and the desert conversation changed to the wedding and the baby.

"So when is it going to be?" Tonks asked for the fifth time in seven minutes.

"Well, I think it should be before the grand opening of the new stores, since we are partners I don't think we will have much time after that to have a wedding."

"That does not give you much time for a wedding. You really should come to London with us when we go home Sunday. We can get all of your wedding stuff done and if you wanted to you could see Harry and Ginny's twins. They were born on your birthday." Tonks added.

Hermione stumbled over her thoughts. The twins had been born. She couldn't believe it. She knew Ginny was not due until October, the start of it. She felt her heartbreak at missing their birth. It had been weighing on her mind since she found out she was having a baby. She couldn't believe she wasn't there when they were born. She was one of the very few that knew Ginny was having twins.

"I cannot believe I missed it." Hermione whispered. "I cannot believe it. I wanted to be there, even with all of this going on; I wanted to be there for her. For them." Her eyes began to tear over. She saw Tonks come over to her.

"It's alright, Hermione. She wanted you to be there too. We tried calling you, but we could not reach you. Everything we wonderfully,though, even with them early. And they even named one of the boys after you." She pulled out a picture of the four of them. "James Sirius Ronald Potter was born at 9:22 am weighing in at 6 pounds and 10 ounces and Jean Arthur Remus Potter was born at 9:31 am weighing in at 6 pounds and 7 ounces." It sounded like Tonks was quoting someone. "That is what Harry proudly said after they were born." Tonks looked at her and smiled, "come back with us. Share your news with them and then we can all plan your wedding." Tonks said.

Hermione looked at Sirius and he too seemed saddened that they missed such an important thing in the lives of their family. With a nod in agreement Hermione smiled. "Yes, I think it is time for us to go back to London for a short visit." She hoped she didn't make a mistake by saying that.


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: JRK owns the HP world. **

**A/N: So now we have the showdown, of sorts I guess, between Hermione, Harry and Ginny... I think that this chapter really handles it well... I hope you will all agree. **

**A bit thanks to all of my readers that have continued to read the chapters and leave comments... It keeps me going. Please enjoy this chapter and HAPPY READING! :)**

**Aftermath: Chapter 16**

Hermione held on tight to Sirius' hand as Remus knocked on the door of Grimmauld Place. She was nervous, he was nervous, and they were staying here with Harry and Ginny for a week. Friday night after the eventful dinner with the five of them, they called Harry and Ginny asking if they could come and visit for a week. Harry and Ginny were thrilled and offered to let them stay with them, they seemed very happy that were coming back to London for a visit. Once that was set in place, including a wonderful Sunday meal prepared by Ginny, the weekend flew by.

Saturday after a wonderful breakfast prepared by Sirius they went to the local zoo. They met up with Mindy and Joseph for lunch. They went to some of the more exotic reefs Saturday afternoon and for dinner they went to Miadanis. Sunday morning Sirius prepared another wonderful breakfast and then they went swimming in the ocean. After a picnic lunch they packed and apparated to Grimmauld Place. This brought them to the current moment in time waiting for Harry to open the door.

"Remus, Tonks. Please come in, Ginny is upstairs with the twins and should be down shortly." Harry said grinning. When he saw the two of them he bolted into their arms.

"Hermione, Sirius! My god I have missed you! I am so sorry for everything. You have no idea. I was so stupid. I cannot believe how stupid. It was so wrong." Harry rushed out.

"Harry calm down, can we at least get into the house." Hermione said barely breathing.

He cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly. "Er… Sorry." He said. He took their bags and walked into the house. "There is tea in the sitting room." Harry said walking to the stairs and putting their bags on them. Ginny walked down them and smiled she projected herself at Hermione.

"Hermioneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" She said throwing her arms around her. "I'm sorry. So sorry. Please forgive me. I hate myself. I hate what I did to you!"

"Ginny it is okay." She said. "Can I please breathe?" Ginny pulled back and grinned.

"Yeah sorry. Dinner is ready, please come to the kitchen." Ginny said leading them to the kitchen in the basement.

Dinner was spent catching up on the past three months. Hermione did a lot of talking as did Sirius. Even Harry and Ginny filled the room with conversation. It was homey and Hermione realized how much she missed being around people. How much she missed being around her friends. She was still planning on letting them know how much she was hurt by them, but she hoped with all her heart that after the words were said they could move on and be friends again, the trust she had in them would not be as easy to return. Perhaps with time it might, but the jury was still out on that one.

After dinner Tonks and Remus had to leave for home since Remus had to work early in the morning with Severus. Harry walked the three on them into the sitting room, Ginny left to refresh the tea tray and Harry went and got the twins. Hermione looked at Sirius, "well, I guess now is the time to tell them our news? How do you think they will take it?" She asked.

"As long as you stick with our story then it should work out fine. Just calm yourself, and you will do great." He walked to her and put his arms around her. "It will be alright, love. It will all be over with soon. You have all right to let them know how you feel about what they did. If they care about you in the slightest they will understand your feelings and try to work back at being friends." He kissed her slowly on the lips and then deepened it to the point that Hermione grew hungry with an intense sexual feelings. She wondered if it was always going to be like that with the two of them.

Harry coming down from the steps made them pull apart. Hermione quickly wiped her lips before Harry turned the corner. Hermione saw James and Jean and felt her heart melt. She walked over to him and he quickly placed one of the two of them in her arms. She held the one that had flaming red hair and green eyes. The child was the perfect mixture of Harry and Ginny. Harry handed the other twin to Sirius. Hermione looked at him and began crying seeing him hold the baby in his arms. She knew in just a few months, he would be holding her… No their baby in his arms.

"Er… Hermione you are holding Jean and Sirius you have James." Harry said catching the looked that was exchanged between the two of them. "I have a feeling I am missing something major." He said.

"Of course you are Harry," Ginny said walking into the room. "Boys are daft, very daft." She said rolling her eyes and setting down the tea table. "Can't you see that Hermione and Sirius are clearly in love, and by that ring on her finger, I assume they are engaged." Ginny said looking at her friend. "And that look that just exchanged between the two of them, well, Hermione is probably picturing what Sirius is going to look like holding their baby in what? Six months or so?" Ginny added.

Harry's face went white as he looked between the two of them. Hermione looked at Sirius who was just as surprised as she was. How did Ginny know all of this? How could she tell? But then, that is how friends were, best friends, almost sisters acted. They knew everything without having to be told. It made Hermione smiled thinking that Ginny paid enough attention to know that.

"I think it might be best if we sit. Harry looks faint and the last thing I need right now is for him to pass out on the carpet with our friends over." Ginny said with a smile. Hermione couldn't believe it. She really couldn't. Ginny and her were like sisters, and yes Ginny kept something horrible from her, but at the same time… At the same time, she never stopped caring and loving her. Hermione knew that Ginny could tell, because that was just Ginny. She was perceptive and it was not like Hermione could hide how much she loved Sirius, which is why she decided to keep the engagement ring on.

"Hermione, I believe that you have some things you want to say to Harry and I before we get onto your guy's news. The floor is yours, and if you think you can remain calm about it, then you can still hold little Jean." Hermione didn't want to have to give up the little baby in her arms so she nodded. Sirius came and sat next to her and patted her hand a silent form of encouragement. With a deep breath she began.

"Harry, Ginny…" She started. "Harry, you are very easily the best friend I've ever had. You were there for me when I needed you; just as I was there for you when you needed it. Ginny, I never saw you as a friend, but as my sister. I loved you like a little sister. As a child I had no friends, I had no siblings, and getting the both of you to fill those voids, it was magical. It was the best part of Hogwarts. When Ron told me he was cheating, I was crushed, because I gave myself so fully to him, in every way. I was angry, I was hurt, I hated the world, but at the same time I thought that I had my friends, and I use that word lightly, to help me get over and move past it. Well, it hurt a lot more when I found out I didn't. When I found out that you knew and didn't tell me, the heartbreak because of that, was so much worse. You have no idea. The anger and rage I felt boil inside of me; scared me. I felt like I could very easily murder someone, I wanted to. Trust me I did. There was no way I could stay here and face you each and every day of my life. To constantly be reminded of the pain everyday was impossible, so I did the only thing I could think of; something that I never wanted to do, something that I never thought I would have to do; run." She was trying to keep her voice down because of the baby in her arms, but it was hard to do. She decided to hand the baby to Sirius who already had one sleeping child in his arms. Once he had the baby she stood up.

"I am not the type to run, but that was what I had to do. I picked Madagascar out of sheer desperation and the need to get away. I knew you would come looking for me in Australia, but I doubted you would look for me in Africa. The land was too easy, too many witches and wizards there; so I picked a place cut off. There when looking for a house I happened to use Sirius' name, and the Taboo went off. He came and found me that evening. He felt like a piece of home for me and I needed some sort of connection to him, and I was so hurt, by everyone and enraged by everyone! I used him, and I enjoyed it; I was not the shy innocent Hermione any more someone else took my place. I got destructive and I got depressed, manic depressive; very high highs and very low lows." Her voice began cracking, not by choice. Remembering how it used to be was almost as bad as it actually was.

"Sirius saved me. He gave me an outlet of sorts. He grounded me and helped me return to my once normal state. He sacrificed a lot." She looked at him.

"Ooh yes, a few ribs, my eyes were swollen for a while, all the scrapes and bruises, and the mental damage of being a bested by a girl half my age." Sirius responded. "But I would do it all again for her. You have no idea."

"He allowed me to take it out on him, I don't know what happened but once I started fighting him, I couldn't stop. He even took care of me, and the mess of a state I was in before he cleaned himself up. For a bit we thought it helped, but then I went and saw my parents. They took his side too. After that, I was worse. But Sirius never gave up on me. He was there for me and was the only person that took my side in all of this. The only person, neither of you can understand what it feels like to be that alone. I kept trying to rationalize with why you both did it.

"I thought that you Harry would at least understand. I thought that you at least would've felt the same way at times in your life. Which made it even harder for me to understand why you did it? Was I not loyal enough to you at school? Did I not always have your back? Did I not try my hardest to protect you and fight with you?" Her voice became squeaky and tears fell. She wanted to try to hold it together right now, but she couldn't. She turned to Ginny. "I know he is your brother, Gin, but I at least thought we were as close as sisters. We were there for each other. When I think of all the times I had your back. All the times I was there when you needed a friend. All the secrets we shared. You out of anyone should've known how much I loved your brother.

"For my own sanity, I need to know, I need to understand why. Why did you choose him over me? And don't even begin to say that you did not pick a favorite, because that is what it felt like and that is what you both did. Please tell me why." Her back was to them; she couldn't stand to face them, but she knew she had to, she needed the truth and she was going to get it. Her eyes were on fire when she turned around and burned into each of theirs. "Tell… Me… WHY!" She gritted through her teeth.

The room was silent. Harry's face was blank and pale as a ghost, while Ginny had tears on her face. Sirius got to his feet arms heavy with each of the babies and put them over in the cradle that was in the sitting room. He walked over to her once he finished. "Are you alright?" He asked. His face filled with worry.

"Yes, Sirius." She responded. He stood next to her; both of them facing Harry and Ginny now.

"Hermione, we don't know what to say." Harry began. "We've spent many sleepless nights trying to understand why we did it. It was not like we knew together, I found out first, and the way he begged me not to tell you and the way he promised it wouldn't happen again. I thought I was doing something to protect you, I really did. I thought it was just one simple mistake, I didn't want to see you hurt. I didn't know it continued until around the same time Ginny found out."

"Which was what a YEAR AGO?" She tried keeping her voice down, but she couldn't.

"We have no excuse for what we did, 'Mione. And we are not going to make an excuse. We are not stupid, we know we hurt you, and we cannot explain why. We understand that you feel we picked sides and at the end of the day, we did. We say we did it out of love for you, and maybe that's true, but it was twisted. We are sorry about it, and should've handled it sooner with you. We were your friends and we should've been able to tell you and handled your reaction." Ginny said she was crying, and Harry was trying his best to comfort her.

"Hermione, we have no idea why we did what we did, but we did and there is no going back. All that we can say is that we regret it and we are sorry, we hope with time you might forgive us and we can be friends again." Harry said.

"In all honesty, I never thought I could forgive the two of you. I never thought I could forgive any single person that had a hand in this mess. But that is what I thought. Sirius helped me so much over the past few months to deal with that anger, and when he proposed he made me realize that it is time to move on from the past, give forgiveness, and look at the future. For my health and that our unborn baby, I cannot continue to have this anger and hurt inside of me. I still don't want to see Ron and I don't know if I will be able to face him. As for the rest of them, I don't know what I am going to do. I know that I need to let go so I can move on. I would not be able to fully give myself to Sirius and our new life."

"So are you saying that we can still be friends?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, Gin, we can be friends. I want that. And I want yours and Tonks' help planning our wedding, but I don't know if I will be able to trust you or Harry again. And if I feel I can, it won't be for a while." Hermione said.

"And I fully support her with this decision. It tore her apart in more ways than one. When I found her in Madagascar, she was a mess. She was having nightmares at night; she lost weight, when she was in her better moods she was always on edge. She reminded me a lot of me after I got out of Azkaban. It was heartbreaking to watch, and I tried to do all I could, I wished I could've done more sooner." Sirius added. "Mindy helped her a lot. She was a friend when she needed one. Mindy and Potion Making really pulled her out of it."

"And the baby, after I found out that I was having Sirius' baby. Well, the boundaries we set after our one night fling three months ago evaporated." Hermione stated.

"And… Er… You're sure it is Sirius and not Ron's?" Harry blurted out.

Hermione thought the question would come from Ginny not Harry. She was prepared for it. She spun around and looked him square in the face a fire in her eyes. "Yes, Harry, I am sure it is Sirius' baby. Ron was too busy fucking Luna to even lay a hand on me. But then again you knew all about that." It was a low blow, but she needed to make sure that no one doubted the paternity of her child. Feeling a little dizzy she decided to sit back down.

Harry said nothing, but Ginny did. "Harry that was a very stupid question to ask. I am sure that Hermione and Ron talked about children before, Ron does not want them. I am sure that Hermione and he were very careful when they were together." She looked at Hermione and smiled. "Hermione wouldn't lie about something that huge." She crossed the room and knelt in front of Hermione.

"I never thought you would come back into my life. I thought I lost that. I am happy I didn't. I would love it if we could just take it one day at a time, and with time, maybe we can get back to being friends." The words were simple and Hermione could tell by the look in her friend's eye that she meant every single word she spoke.

"Yes, Gin, I'd love that. I really want that." Hermione said, and then she put her arms around Ginny and pulled her into a tight hug. Harry came over after Ginny and Hermione stopped hugging.

"Hermione, I am sorry. I hope that you and Sirius both will give me a chance to make up for my stupidity. I never really realized how big of a part you had in my life until you were gone. I took advantage of the thought that I would always have you. But not having you was a wakeup call. I hope that you can forgive me." He said looking at her.

"Harry, I will always love you like my brother. I want my son or daughter to have an Uncle Harry. I forgive you, and with time we will be friends again." Hermione said. Harry's eyes sparkled with tears. She pulled him into an embrace that lasted longer than the one she shared with Ginny.

"Thank you, 'Mione." Harry said stepping back. "Now, we should start planning your wedding. When is it?"

"Next month, October 13." She said. "Tonks is coming over tomorrow. I hope to get everything planned out then."

"Sounds good, 'Mione. I am looking forward to it." Harry said with a smile. She couldn't help but smile back. Her heart felt tons lighter since she faced the two of them, and just like Sirius said, everything was going to work out. She looked at her soon to be husband and smiled. God, she loved him so much, and now with her friends by her side they would soon be married.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I own nothing... JKR is the creator of HP. **

**A/N: So I got some mixed reviews last chapter and I loved it... I am glad that you all have gotten emotionally invested with the characters in my story... I know that there are a few of you that might not agree with everything, but I know that is just because you want the best for Hermione and Sirius. **

**On a side note, last night I finished typing the last chapter to this story, Chapter 22. It made me happy and sad at the same time because this story is ending... But the good news is that the characters in this story are going to be expanded upon in the next... Who knows... I might just give you all a taste of what the next story is going to be... This story is kinda a prologue to the next one... **

**Happy Reading... Please enjoy...**

**Aftermath: Chapter 17**

"No, no, no. I want it simpler. It does not have to be that fancy." Hermione sighed. The three of them had been in the invitation store for an hour already and they had made little progress. She was beginning to rethink the idea of going to stores for the wedding stuff. Maybe she should just make the things. At least then she would be getting what she wanted. She wanted to kill Ginny for suggesting they pick invitations first.

"You are getting married where?" The woman asked for the third time.

"In Madagascar on the beach. We don't want anything fancy; we are only inviting a few very close friends and some family. That is all." Hermione sighed. She shot a look at Ginny that expressed her annoyance.

"What about this one 'Mione?" Tonks said brining over a book.

It was a black cardstock with maroon writing and gold embellishments. There were two intertwined roses with thorns in the bottom left corner. The right side had a maroon border and there was a tiny script in the middle with the details of the wedding. "These are perfect Tonks." She said thinking about her ring. And how ironic it was that the card displayed their house colors. She loved the black theme for the wedding. Sirius was amazingly sexy and handsome in black and she wanted a black and ivory gown.

With her not wedding to Ron everything was over the top, invitations, decorations, the dress, the dress robes, just everything. None of it was her. She did not want a large wedding in the Great Hall at Hogwarts with hundreds of people neither of them knew. She wanted classic colors not overly Gryffindor. She wanted tea lights in little white bags with their family crest on it. She wanted white chairs and white lanterns and white roses. No show, no pretenses, nothing that she was forced into having. Her wedding to Sirius Black was going to be simple, magical, and full of love. Love was the key word.

"I thought you would like these. They match your ring, Mrs. Black." Tonks said with a smile.

Ginny came over and looked at the invitations; "I love them, 'Mione. It suites the both of you perfectly." Ginny complimented.

"Yes, I love them and I know that Sirius will." Hermione responded. She put the book on the counter. "I want these, I only need around twenty." She said with a smile.

"I will get them for you right now. Would you like us to fill in the wedding information and send them out for you?" The woman asked with a smile.

"No thank you. I would prefer to fill them out myself, make them more personal." Hermione responded.

"We usually don't recommend that, it is hard to make ink stay on these invitations since they are black."

"I have the perfect ink for them, now can I please get twenty. I have a very busy day." Hermione pressed. She did have a busy day, she still needed to find a wedding dress; but more than anything she wanted out of this store.

The woman turned around and walked into the room at the back. She returned quickly with a black box. "The RSVP cards and the envelopes are enclosed. We only sell them in 25, 50, 100, 200, and 500, so I got you the twenty-five count." She punched some numbers into the register and told Hermione the total. She quickly paid and the woman put the box in a bag, gave the change, and then the three of them left.

Outside Hermione sighed. "That was horrible; I've never seen such a daft woman before. An hour for invitations, that was insane." She complained.

"But you found wonderful invitations. Sirius will love them. Now for your dress." Ginny said. "The store is right down the street. And I've requested their best fashion consultant. I talked to her on the phone her name is Alice."

"Then we can get food. I am sure that you are hungry, 'Mione. And probably baby Sirius too." Tonks said. All three of them laughed.

"Do you think it is a boy or a girl?" Ginny asked.

"I'm not sure."

"Well, what do you want? And Sirius?" Tonks asked.

Hermione blushed at that thought. They had not really discussed it, they had been busy with other things since they found out she was having a baby. "Um… we've been busy with other things since we found out. So we really have not discussed that." She said with a chuckle.

"I bet you have been. Sirius is a good looking man, and I bet he is wonderful in the bed." Ginny complimented. Hermione was not surprised by her comment. Ginny did have a very naughty side to her; something that very few knew about.

She smiled it felt nice having someone to talk to about the two of them; girlfriends, sister. Nothing was out of bounds with them. With a deep breath, "god, he is amazing. Never had anything like him before. Always blows my mind. I always want him." Hermione said.

"That's because he is older, wiser, more experienced and knows how to handle a woman. Remus is the same way. Man, our first time." Tonks blushed just as red as Hermione.

"Harry is… Well, I don't know how to explain it with Harry." Ginny started, she paused then said, "it is better each time. Yeah, that is the best way to describe it. It is constantly changing and every time is better than before. But then again, we were each other's first. There is a deep connection between us." She said.

They all got lost in thoughts after that as they finished the short walk to the bridal shop. "Here we are. It is the largest in London. I am sure that we'll find exactly what you are looking for. You do have some ideas, right?" Ginny asked.

"Yes, I do. Have you two decided if you want dress robes or dresses?" She asked before they went in.

"Remus said that he wants to dress in clothes since he hates dress robes, so I am going with a dress."

"Same with Harry and I. We thought it would be best if we all dressed without dress robes. They can be so ghastly."

"Good! We will get your dresses while we are in here too." Hermione said. "And remember price is not an object. I have more than enough money to spare." She responded. Which wasn't a lie. Ginny held open the door and the three women walked in.

"You must be the Granger-Black Party. I'm Alice. I've been waiting for you." A petite woman with spiky hair said.

"Yes, I am Hermione and these are my sisters, Ginny and Tonks. We are here for my wedding dress and their matron of honor dresses." Hermione said extending her hand. The small woman took shook it.

"Nice to meet all of you. Please come with me." She said, as she danced to the back of the room. Hermione saw tons of dresses; on display, hanging up on racks, on pictures on the walls. Her heart began racing in a good way. She was so excited about marrying Sirius Black. She couldn't wait to be his wife. "Please sit." The small woman said opening the door for them. She led them into a large room with mirrors on most of the walls except the one that was aligned with chairs and a table that held bridal books.

"So tell me about the wedding. The groom. The location. Just everything!" She said as she waited for them to sit. Hermione took the chair closest to the table, Alice sat across from her.

"Well, the wedding is in about a month and a half. I know it is short notice, but we don't want a long engagement. I've known Sirius for almost ten years, and I've probably loved him just as long. Recently we found out way back into each other's lives. We also found out just a few days ago that we would be having our first baby soon, and after that he proposed. I said yes and here we are." Hermione said.

"That sounds very nice. I bet he is handsome." Alice said.

"Ooh he is. Very much so."

"You get this glow around you when you talk about him. You two are very happy, I can tell. Now what about the location?"

"We share a home in Madagascar. The front yard is a sandy beach that leads to the crystal clear ocean. We want to get married in front of the ocean around sundown. I know it sounds overdone, but we share that home and have many memories there."

"No, it is understandable. I am sure it is beautiful. Now about the dress; what ideas do you have?" She asked. She perked up a bit in the chair.

"Well, it is on the beach so I want a material that flows; and since I am pregnant, I think an empire waist would be best. I like chiffon and lace, because I want something that is sexy, but it still has to be respectable to wear in front of my family and friends. I like beads and I want the dress to be mainly in ivory with black since they are the colors of the wedding."

"I have a few ideas. There is a dressing room through that door. Just go in there and change into the robe, I'll come through the back door and you can start trying dresses on." Alice said and then she left the room, Hermione followed orders and went into the back. The room had a few mirrors and a chair. She put on the robe and waited. Alice brought in five dresses, all white with black accents.

Hermione knew the right dress would jump out at her when she saw it. It was not going to be hard for her to make decision. She looked at the dresses on the wall where they hung, the first one had a too full skirt; not what she wanted. The second one was very nice, but it was strapless. She didn't mind strapless, but her breast were filling out a lot more now since she was pregnant, she didn't want them busting out. The third had too much black on it. She wanted black but not that much.

Then she saw the fourth. It was just what she wanted. "I want to try this one on, please." She asked.

Alice took the dress out of the bag. Hermione smiled when she saw how it flowed coming out of it. She took off her robe and with a little help she put the dress on. It was a little loose, but she loved how it looked. The top was a sweetheart cut which looked nice, it covered the tan lines she had from her bikinis. The straps on the shoulders curved beautifully; they were not too wide or too narrow, and were made of lace. The lace was beautiful creating an intricate pattern across the bodice of the dress. The waistline was marked by a thin black sash that tied and then ran down the back of the dress. It was embellished with crystal flowers. The chiffon of the skirt draped her body and landed right on the top of her foot. The train on the back was the perfect length giving off the perfect silhouette for her body type.

Alice finished zipping up the dress in the back and smiled. "It is almost the perfect fit."

Hermione grinned into the mirror in the room, "yes, I think it is. Am I able to buy it off the rack?" Alice seemed baffled at her response.

"Uh… Yeah, you can. This is just one of the samples of this dress; we have it in a few other sizes. Most of the time we send in an order for the dresses, but since this fits you so wonderfully and the wedding of yours is six weeks away, exception can be made." Alice explained. "But, don't you want to show your sisters first? See what they think."

"I could, but it wouldn't matter." Hermione answered. That was the truth. She loved it and she was sure that Sirius would too. It was both simple and elegant, but at the same time memorable. "Yeah, let's go show them." She said walking to the door. Alice opened it and she walked out. Both Ginny and Tonks gasped.

"Hermione that is beautiful. It looks amazing on you." Tonks said.

"It is perfect. Sirius is going to love it and you are going to take the breath away from everyone in attendance." Ginny said.

"What about a veil? You have to have one." Tonks added.

"I have the perfect one." Alice said. She left the room and returned a little too fast. She clipped it into Hermione's hair and it was love. The veil was elbow length with a black border; and when Alice pulled it over her face she began to cry. This is what she wanted. This was how she wanted to look when she said I do.

"I'll take them both." Hermione responded.

"Is that all?" Alice asked.

"No, my sisters here need dresses as well. Maybe while I change you two can go and look. I can take the dress to the counter once I am finished if you'd like." Hermione said. She was not trying to rush but she was getting hungry and she wanted a moment alone.

"Just leave it in there on the right wall hook. I will come and get them once we finish with these two. Do you ladies know what you want?"

"While you were in there we actually looked through these books here, we have a few we like. So it shouldn't take long. We'll be back, 'Mione." Ginny said as the three of them left the room.

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and tried picturing the look that Sirius would hold as she walked out to him on the beach. She could almost imagine it. She couldn't wait. She was never this excited about her marriage to Ron. She never got to pick her own dress or invitations; it was all planned for her. Before her wedding to Ron she was worried he would tie her down that the excitement would leave. But she didn't feel that way with Sirius. She dreaded being Ron's wife and she knew that was because she was destined to be Sirius'.

With one last glance of herself in the dress she walked back into the dressing room, took off the veil, and maneuvered out of the gown. She placed it back on the hanger and hung it on the hook. She got back into her jeans and a t-shit quickly and slipped her feet back in her shoes. She glanced at her dress one last time and then walked out of the dressing room to find Tonks and Ginny. That was not hard they both had found dresses and were looking at themselves in the mirror.

"Ginny you look amazing." Hermione said. She was wearing a dark golden strapless dress with a sweetheart cut top made from a comfortably flowing chiffon fabric, with a ruched bust and an asymmetrical hem. The waist was empire which was great since she still had baby weight to loose. Hermione loved it. It was cute and bubbly, the perfect fit for Ginny.

"Do you really love it? I would wear my hair down and I've been looking for a reason to trim my hair. I want something short and wavy." Ginny said with a smile.

"You see, I don't have that problem." Tonks said laughing. "I change my look all the time." She winked and quickly flashed a pig nose. It made Hermione think back to the old days and she began laughing; harder than she had in a very long time.

"So what do you think of mine?" Tonks asked after the laughing ceased. Hermione knew these girls had style. Tonks was standing in a satin A-Line gown with a halter top, a pleated bodice and a dropped waist. Her dress was blood red and looked stunning with her complexion and her heart shaped face. It elongated her body.

"Beautiful, Tonks. Simply amazing. You both look amazing. Just like I imagined you looking!"

"I take it the bride is happy." Alice said coming over.

"Ooh yes very." Hermione stated.

"Splendid, now I have a special offer for you, I've talked it over with my mother the owner and she is going to let you purchase all three of the dresses as is right off the rack and at a discounted price." She said beaming.

"Really?" Hermione asked thrilled.

"Yes, if they want to change out of them then you can pay for them at the front desk." Alice said.

"Thank you, Alice. We appreciate it." Hermione said. Tonks and Ginny left to change leaving Hermione grinning in the mirrors. She was so happy at the moment; it seemed too good to be true. She had four friends back in her life, she was getting married, and they were having a baby. Life was splendid and she loved hers at the moment.

The girls came out holding their dresses in the plastic bags. Together the three of them walked up to pay. Alice handed her a white bag and a box she assumed her veil was in. She quickly rung them up and Hermione paid. "Now, here is my card. Give me a call anytime if you wish to chat, and please send me a picture of you guys in your stunning dresses." Alice said handing her the receipt and a card.

They walked out of the shop with their bags of dresses and Hermione put the box that contained the veil in the bag with the invitations. "Now for lunch, I am starving." Hermione said.

"Perfect, there is this little restaurant a block over, and it is right next to a few more stores I want to take you too. Trust me, you'll like them." Ginny said leading the way. Hermione was in good shape since she was always one for exercise, but her feet were not prepared for the walk. They were hurting, and would only be hurting more after they finished with all the walking.

Ginny lead them to a quaint little restaurant with big display windows in the front filled with sweets. This was the place that Hermione wanted to eat. The three of them walked in and walked over to a table. They hung up their dresses and she sat her bag on the booth next to her. Hermione took her menu and looked for it. She wanted something spicy; anything with curry. The waitress came over and took their orders, Tonks ordered a salad with chicken and Ginny ordered some soup. "I'll take the curry roast beef with the red potatoes." Hermione ordered. The waitress brought them back their drinks and told them their food will be ready shortly. The three of them began gossiping about nothing in general. Hermione talked mostly about Mindy and Joseph and both the girls were excited to meet them at the wedding.

As soon as the waitress came over and gave them their meals the door opened. Hermione, out of habit looked at the door and noticed Molly Weasley come strolling in with her daughter-in-law, Fleur. Hermione dropped her fork out of surprise; the other two looked at the door. Mrs. Weasley eyes locked on hers.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. You have to know that I did not plan this. I didn't even know that she knew of this place. I picked this area of London because she never mentioned coming here." Ginny whispered. Hermione knew in her gut this was true.

"It's alright, Gin. I know you didn't. I figured that this might happen coming back here. I didn't want it to, but I am prepared for it." She responded. The two of them walked over to their table.

"Hello girls." She said to Tonks and Ginny then she turned to Hermione. "It is nice to see you again. You look well. How long are you in town for?" She asked.

"A week. I came up here to see Harry and Gin's babies and do some shopping." She pointed at the bags.

"Dresses?" Mrs. Weasley asked.

"Yes, for my wedding. To Sirius, next month." Hermione responded.

"Ooh that is nice." She said. "Well, I guess we should get going, Fleur." Mrs. Weasley said. She sounded hurt. Hermione felt a bit guilty. Mrs. Weasley was like her mother, and she knew she needed to try to make something right between the two of them.

"Mrs. Weasley, why don't the two of you join us? We can catch up." Hermione sighed.

"I'd like that, dear, I really would." She responded with a smile.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own the HP characters. **

**A/N: I love how smart my readers are and noticed that there was a cameo in the last chapter of my favorite little vampire, Alice from Twilight! Good catch! ;) **

**I had more mixed reviews for the last chapter, some of you are happy that Hermione is reaching out to The Weasley Family and others of you would rather me not do that. I just want to assure you all that I am just allowing Hermione to get some closure in her old life before he new one... **

**Also as some of you might know this story is almost finished... But there are going to be A LOT of unanswered questions when the story closes... Never fear, I am already finished with the next story that goes along with this and there is another prologue to this story that will be added shortly... I am also undertaking the next longer story based off of this one... Which will use some characters that have been introduced in this one... A BIG HINT... I think it is time we all go back to Hogwarts... Maybe next generation... **

**Anyway HAPPY READING! :D **

**Aftermath: Chapter 18**

Lunch to say the least was awkward. Molly barely said anything while they ate, neither did Hermione. The other three girls sat and easily gossiped about their children. Hermione knew that she should say something but this was not the place to get into a huge conflict. After she finished with her meal and Molly hers; she looked at girls and asked, "do you three mind if Molly and I went for a walk?"

"No, not at all." Tonks said. "We are just fine here. We will have some tea and wait for you two to come back."

"Thank you. Molly, let's take a walk." Molly said nothing just got up from her chair and walked with Hermione out the door. They began walking down the block to a little park they passed on their way to the restaurant. Hermione walked over to a bench and sat down, Mrs. Weasley did the same. Again they were silent for a bit.

"You look good, Hermione. Very happy and I really don't see that much stress on your face like you used to carry." Molly said to her.

"Thank you, Molly." Hermione responded. Again there was silence and it felt so awkward. Hermione didn't want to beat around the bush; she sighed and then asked, "did you know, Molly about Ron cheating on me?" It was blunt and to the point, but she had to know.

Molly took a deep breath and then blew it out. "A little bit and at the very end. I never caught them together, but he would visit her often, and talk about her much more than normal. He mentioned in passing a few times she came and saw him during training, but then again, every one of your friends would visit Harry and Ron. So finally Arthur and I sat him down the night before he came and told you and asked him point blank if he was cheating on you. He acted a little put off at first and finally after some pressing he said he had been." She stopped and looked at Hermione.

"You got to believe me that was when I found out. I know you probably don't want to, but I only found out right before. I was too caught up in helping you plan the wedding. I was excited to add you to our family, you have no idea. It was not like he brought her around. He never did, and most of the time when he was not with you staying the night or at Harry's we thought he was in his room. He is a grown man; we didn't keep tabs on him.

"After we confronted him, he told us he was planning on telling you the next night at the dinner you were making for him. I was so angry I wanted to go and tell you right then; but he thought it would be better coming from him. He mentioned that a lot of people knew about the two of them and he knew how much it would hurt you when you found out. He wanted it to come from him, not anyone else. I made him promise to tell you the next night, and if he didn't I was going to tell you myself. He swore up and down he was going to, so I let him. Arthur convinced me I did the right thing by letting him tell you, he said Ron was a man and I couldn't take care of his problems as much as I wanted to.

"I was pretty down on myself after I found out. I couldn't figure what I did wrong with raising him. I mean first Percy and then Ron. I thought I was a bad mother; a child's behavior is a direct reflection on the parents. Everyone tried telling me that it wasn't my fault, but I felt like I could've done something different, raised him better." She took another deep breath. "I doubt that you believe me, and if you wish you can go ahead and use Legilimency to prove what I say it true. After I found out that you left, I went to everyone that knew and told them all off. Again, you might not believe that. But if you wanted to you can check. I would let you. I know it is probably hard for you to trust someone again." Molly finished.

Hermione took her time and thought about what Molly said. She never thought Mrs. Weasley was capable of keeping something so secret. She was an old kind soul. She didn't like Fleur and she made that known, she hated Sirius and she made that know. She thought Moody was a bit crazy and she remembered the woman's boggart, all of them dead. She never believed that Molly could've known and not tell her. Hell, the woman was offering to let Hermione invade her mind just to prove the truth.

"Molly, I always thought of the Weasley's as my second family. I wanted to be a part of your family so bad. And when Ron told me he was cheating my whole work was turned upside down. I felt that no one was on my side and that killed me. Ginny said that pretty much everyone knew, and I believed her. I thought you like the others were covering for him." She stopped and thought about what she should say next. "Who all knew in your family about him and Luna?"

"Neither Charlie or Bill, but Percy did since he worked with her for a bit at the hospital. I am not sure about the twins, but I do know that Harry and Ginny knew the longest. I am not trying to sell them out, but it is the truth. I know a few of your fellow school mates knew, Hannah Abbott being one of them because she too worked with Luna at the hospital. Ron and Luna were very careful with it."

Hermione sighed, she knew a lot of people knew, but she didn't realize people outside of the Weasley family might've known too. "I am not going to apologize for him. I didn't want him living with me after I found out, we even kicked him out. But after that he went on a downward spiral and had to enter rehab for a month. We let him back in the house only to keep an eye on him, once he finished his treatments."

Hermione was taking in a lot of information, but she knew in her heart what was being said was the truth. "Mrs. Weasley, I believe you and I ask you to forgive me for being so rude and cold towards you earlier. I didn't have all the facts about him cheating, and I just assumed based off of what Ginny said that you knew all along like they did."

"It is alright dear." She said and then she pulled her into a hug, out of nowhere they both began crying. Molly pulled back, "don't you ever leave like that again. Both Arthur and I were so worried. To us you will always be our child, we love you and we were so worried that you could have been killed or something." She hugged her again.

"I won't Mrs. Weasley. I promise." Hermione responded, and then they hugged again. "Now tell me about you and Sirius Black while we walk back to the girls." She said. Hermione pulled out a tissue and blew her nose, Molly did the same.

Hermione smiled as she stood up. "Well, I guess I should start back at the beginning." Hermione said helping the woman up off the bench. As they walked back Hermione filled her in on everything that happened during the past three months. She told her the same story she told Harry and Ginny, just gave a bit more detail into things. She asked the same question Harry did when Hermione told her about being pregnant, but Hermione carefully explained to her that she and Ron really had not been intimate for a while. Molly believed her easily, and Hermione silently prayed that she didn't get caught in this major lie. The only people that knew the truth were she, Ron and Sirius. And the more she talked about it the more she got a sinking feeling in her gut that she was going to have to visit Ron before she returned to Madagascar.

"I hope that you will permit me to be at your wedding Hermione. And it would be an honor if you would wear Aunt Muriel's goblin made tiara." Molly stated as they stood outside the restaurant.

Hermione had to hug her again for the gracious offer. "Yes, Molly, I think we will invite some of the Weasley clan, I will be working with Bill soon enough and Sirius has mentioned that he wants to discuss some business type things with Charlie. I don't see why I couldn't invite them too. It is going to be at our home in Madagascar. I am sure that you will like it there." Hermione said. This made Molly cry again, and Hermione hugged her. Together they walked in and over to the three girls at the table.

"You look like you had a pleasant conversation." Tonks said with a smile.

"Yes, we did." Hermione and Molly responded together. They both laughed. "Fleur, dear, we should get back to Arthur and Bill. I am sure Victorie has had enough bonding time with the two of them."

"Yes, I think we should." She said. Hermione smiled, her thick French accent was almost unnoticeable. "It was nice seeing you again, Hermione." She said as she got up. Molly hugged Hermione again and the two women left together.

"Well, we have one more store to go to; so let's pay the bill and get to it." The three girls grabbed their stuff, walked up to the counter, paid, and then they left. They walked a block over and stopped in front of a store in the windows was filled with mannequins displaying sexy looking lingerie. "I shop here often, they have everything; cute and sweet to naught and sexy." Ginny said holding open the door. Hermione went in and the other two followed her.

"Gin, I cannot believe you visit stores like this." Tonks said her face a bit red.

"Come on, every woman has to. And it is not all that bad. They have wonderful top quality clothing here. And every woman getting married should have some nice things to wear on their wedding night." Ginny responded. "Now come on let me give you the tour." Hermione grinned as they walked through the store. Ginny was right they did have a ton of nice things here and not all sexy. She picked out a few pair of cutesy pajamas and a few new bikinis to wear while pregnant. There was a cute pair of wedge sandals she just had to have. Lastly she picked out a few sexy items to wear for Sirius. She figured she would look great in them, even if she only had them on for a little bit.

All three of them had their arms heavy with purchases when they checked out. Hermione had a few more bags to carry as they walked down the darkening streets to the apparation point. Once there Tonks apparated home while Ginny and Hermione went to Grimmauld place. Ginny opened the door for Hermione and they walked in. "Hey, we're home." Ginny shouted. Sirius was the first one to come around the corner a look of relief washing over him when he saw her.

"I've missed you." He said coming over and kissing her deeply. "For the past three months we have been together every second and today we were apart most of it. I got a little worried. I didn't know how it would go." He said. "Do you need me to take some of these bags?"

"No, I don't. But you can come upstairs with me. I want to tell you something." She said. A worried look marred his face again. "Ginny, we will be back down in a second and I'll help you with dinner." Hermione called as they took the steps.

"Take your time, Hermione. I know you two have a lot to talk about." She responded. Hermione with Sirius at her side walked up the three floors to Sirius' old room, the room they were staying in. He opened the door for her and she walked in. She hung her dress up on the wall and put her bags on the chaise in the room. He sat on the bed and she sat next to him.

"I ran into Molly today, Sirius." She said. He inhaled sharply.

"And?" He asked. She explained to him the conversation; everything that was said between the two of them. By the end she was in a bit of a panic.

"And the more and more I tell this lie, the more and more I feel like I am going to get caught in it. And I think the only possible thing to do, even though I don't want to… Is going to see Ron." Sirius was silent for a while and she just looked at him. Finally she asked, "are you mad at me?"

"No, Hermione I'm not. I just wished you didn't have to do it. I don't want you to have to do anything that will cause you hurt and pain, and I know seeing him would do just that. I love you and I want to protect you, but that is one thing I cannot do for you."

"So you think I should see him?"

"Yes, Hermione, I have since the first time I saw you in Madagascar. You two have unfinished business that needs to be settled. I knew you would know when the time was right to talk to him and I knew I could only be there to support you."

"Ooh Sirius, I love you to death." She said flinging herself in his arms and kissed him. "How is it that you know what I need when I need it without me even knowing?" She asked once they pulled apart.

"Well, I am twice your age, which means I am twice as wise." He responded and kissed her back. "Now, I think you should send him an owl asking him to meet you at some neutral ground close to Grimmauld Place. Sit down and have some tea with him, talk thing over and then come back to me." Sirius said.

Hermione got up and walked over to the desk. She took a piece of parchment and scrawled out a letter to Ron. Once she finished she folded it and put it in an envelope. "Okay, Sirius. Now let's go down and send this letter and help Ginny with dinner. Afterwards I can show you the wedding invitations and we can fill them out. I think you will like them." Hermione responded.

Sirius walked up beside her and kissed her deeply again, it was an on edge kiss and she wondered how much it bothered him that she was going to see Ron. She wrapped her arms around him and pushed herself into him. She dug her nails into his back and ran them through his hair. When the broke apart she looked at him and said, "I love you Sirius Black and I cannot wait to be your wife." She kissed him again, and then led him down the stairs.

She borrowed Harry's owl and sent the letter to Ron, then the two of them went and joined Harry, Ginny and the twins in the kitchen to help prepare dinner.

XXXXX

It was late in the evening when Ron walked into The Burrow. He just spent the evening out with Charlie. Then caught a quidditch game and then went to a bistro for dinner. After they finished their meal he left saying he had plans and Ron decided to walk home for some fresh air. As he walked in the house, well after his rehab imposed curfew, he heard him mother and father talking in the kitchen. He stopped to listen.

"She looked so good Arthur. We had a really good talk and she seems to have moved past it all. She is happy now. She was glowing."

"I am happy to hear that, Molly. She had us both worried. I am glad she has forgiven you. I know how it killed you thinking she was mad at you."

"Yes, it was wonderful. She even said we would get together and have dinner at Harry and Gin's before she leaves to go back home. She even said she wanted to see you."

"I would enjoy that. I cannot wait to get over there and see our grandbabies again. I miss them." His father said.

Ron listened until he didn't want to hear no more, his gut told him there was only one person they were talking about. And that person was in London right now; staying with Harry and Ginny. He bolted up the stairs to his room. He flopped down on his too small bed and covered his eyes with his arm. He was not expecting this, he figured she would come back, but he didn't think it would be this soon.

There was a tapping on his glass and he rolled over to see a grey tawny owl with a letter in his beak. He got off the bed and walked over to let it in. It landed on the desk and dropped the letter, he could tell by the tiny scrawl on the envelope it was from Hermione. The bird took up rest on the desk as he paced around the room with the letter in his hand. He had been dreading this day since the night he told her about his cheating. He knew she would want to talk to him sooner or later. She was Hermione, after all. She needed to know the details about the affair and why he did it. He had no idea what to say or how to say it. This was not going to end well.

Carefully and with a shaking hand he opened the letter. _Ronald. We need to talk. Meet me at the café down the road from number 12 Grimmauld Place, Wednesday at noon. There are some things we need to talk about while I am here in London. Hermione. _

He knew by the tone of the letter it was not a request, but she demanded his presence at that small café down the street from where Harry lived. He took out a piece of parchment and wrote: _I'll be there, _and then sent it back with the owl. At least he had a few days to prepare. His heart felt very heavy as he watched the bird fly back to its home.


	19. Chapter 19

**Disclaimer: JKR owns these characters and the HP world. **

**A/N: I decided to post another chapter tonight since it has been like 5 days since I last updated... I know that this chapter just like the previous ones will get mixed reviews... I am expecting that... But just know that I am trying to allow Hermione to get closure in all aspects of her old life before her new one with Sirius... But be prepared Ron haters the following chapter has Ron it it... **

**On a side note: I've finished with the next mini-story which will be about the birth of Hermione's baby... I will post it after I finished posting this story... But I wanted to play a little game... If you out there can guess what Hermione is going to name the baby, I will send you the first chapter of the next story before I post it here... I will give you three clues as to what the name might be... You can continue to guess as much as you want and can send your guess in a PM or in a Review! For the clues go to my profile and they will be posted at the bottom of it! **

**As always Happy Reading! **

**Aftermath: Chapter 19**

Ron took a deep breath and walked into the café it was a Wednesday and the place was almost empty. He picked a booth in the back and sat down. A waitress came over and asked him what he wanted to drink and he ordered a tea. She returned shortly with a steaming hot cup. He rolled the cup around between his hands; he was nervous and a tad bit afraid. At least being in public she was less likely to hex him. He checked his watch and noticed it was almost noon. He glanced at the door and saw her on the opposite side opening the door. He watched as she walked in and noticed that she looked more beautiful than he ever saw her. She must've been in some tropical place because she was tanned. She was wearing a dress, something that looked so abnormal on her, but at the same time he wondered why she didn't wear them more often when they were together.

She saw him at the back and he watched her walk over. She looked at him as she sat down. "Hello, Hermione." He said.

"Hi, Ron. Thank you for taking time to join me today." She said. He noticed her was reserved, a bit domineering and sharp.

"Your letter gave me the impression that I couldn't say no." He responded.

"Would you've said no, Ronald?" There was an edge in her voice.

"Yes, I probably would've given the chance." He answered truthfully.

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to face you, Hermione." He responded.

"Why not, Ronald?" She asked. Her tone was cold and harsh, and it was like she knew what he was going to say before he said it.

Before he could answer her the waitress came over again. "Can I get you anything Miss?" She asked.

"Just some herbal tea." Hermione responded. The waitress left and returned quickly with another cup of tea. He watched her take a drink of it and sigh. She then moved her right hand off the table and rested it on her lap. "You have not answered my question, Ronald. Why don't you want to face me?" She asked him.

Well, there was no beating around the bush. She was a brash woman, and she would press him until he gave her an answer. "Well, Hermione, I am embarrassed."

"Embarrassed, Ronald? Why?"

"Hermione you know why!" He said his voice rising a bit. She was baiting him and he was taking the bait. Man she had changed. He had troubles finding that warmth and homey feeling in her eyes. Even when she was tired she still had that look. When they were fighting Voldemort she still carried with her a feeling of home. It pained him to know he was responsible for this new look.

He took a deep breath. "Hermione I am embarrassed by my actions. Over the past two years I've been very stupid. Foolish. Horrendous. A monster. I shouldn't have done it but I did."

"No, Ronald, your right. You should've never had cheated on me. Do you know how much I hate you?" She spat a fire in her eyes. Ron jerked back a little at her reaction.

"Is that why you brought me here to tell me how much you hate me, Hermione. Well, news flash, I hate myself." He shot out at her. The only other full table in the room looked at the two of them. He reminded himself to keep his mouth in check. They didn't need to cause a scene here.

She seemed shocked by his reaction and what he said. She had to shake her head a bit just to refocus. "I never wanted to hurt you, Hermione; as odd as that might seem. I never wanted to marry you. I love you and all. And at one time I thought I could love you as you deserved, but I couldn't. I knew I wouldn't have a shot at being loyal to you. Hermione, you never needed me to be there for you."

"That is such a lie, Ronald. It's bullshit. And just so you know, I wouldn't lie to me. I am here because I want the truth. I have questions and I want answers. And you will answer them with the truth and not lies, I can read lies, and I can read your lies even better." She said.

Man, this was a different Hermione; so bold and not backing down. Assertive that was the word he wanted to use to describe her, she was assertive. "Yes, Hermione. Ask the question and I'll give you an answer. And honest answer. I at least owe you that much." He stated.

"Yeah, you got that right. Now tell me why you cheated on me and why you did it with Luna?" She asked. "And when did it start? How many times? You know what… Why don't you just start at the beginning and explain everything. I'll listen." She said.

He knew this wasn't going to be easy. He took a drink of his tea and then another. He finished the whole damn cup before he took a deep breath and started. "I guess it started right after we finished off Voldemort. You were amazing and I loved you. But it was like the love I have for Harry; just a sister or a close friend. At one time I did love you like a man loves a woman, but that only lasted so long. You were my first love, I was starry eyed over you, but after we helped Harry defeat Voldemort, I realized that you didn't need a hero; that you were one. And every man wants a woman to make him feel like a hero.

"Everyone expected us to get married; hell my dad gave me the ring and everything. I thought that we could make a nice family, love each other and make each other happy. So I proposed. Right after you said yes I realized I made a mistake, a big one. But you were so happy and I was thrilled that I brought that happiness to you. At our engagement party, Luna was there, and we both drank a lot. I was coming out of the bathroom and I saw Luna. I wished I could say it was the alcohol that made me do it, but I was of sound mind when I took her back to the boy's dorm. I was sick of making others happy; I wanted to be happy myself. It didn't have to be Luna, I am sure that the first woman I saw I would've tried to get her to go back to my room with me.

"Harry walked in on us and seeing him made me realize how stupid I was. I begged him not to tell, and promised it was a onetime thing. And for a while it was; until I met up with her in Amsterdam at the end of August. She was with her father on vacation before she went back for her final year at Hogwarts. Harry and I were on separate assignments during that time, and we ran into each other at a café. I invited her for dinner only as friends. We talked into the early hours of the morning and when the café closed she went back to the hotel I was staying at while on assignment.

"We found out we had a lot in common and she needed a hero, I guess. One thing lead to another and we ended up in bed together; a few times. I am not proud of it, but it happened. When she had to leave that weekend we set up dates and times to meet up with each other. At first it was just sex. I wanted it, she wanted it, and we had fun together. When she graduated I realized that just maybe I was falling in love with her. And I liked that fact. It seems that she fell in love with me too. That is when Ginny caught us. It was not smart, but it happened. I used guilt to make her keep my secret on the bond of family. She didn't want to, but I forced her. I told her that I would tell Harry that she cheated on him and break them up.

"I pulled the same thing with Harry when he found out. I promised him I would tell you before it got too late. Luna and I began spending more time together, I am actually surprised you didn't find out sooner. Part of me wanted you to, because then I wouldn't have to marry you. But then again, I was planning on calling off the engagement. You remember that night in May when I came over and it was for a talk and we ended up making love over and over?" He asked her. She must've remembered because she got a strange look on her face and put her hands on her stomach. It was odd for her to act so strangely. It was like she was hiding something. After a bit she nodded.

"Well, I was planning on telling you then. It might not seem that way, but I felt horrible about what I was doing to you. I just wasn't man enough to tell you, 'Mione. You see Luna can't get along by herself. She needs a hero; she needs me to take care of her. She wouldn't know what to do without me. I am not being egotistical, just honest. And I want to be able to take care of someone. I need someone to need me. You've proved over and over that you are the one that takes care of me. You have done so much for me and what have I done for you? You don't have to answer that." He signaled the waitress for more tea and she came over with two more cups; one for each of them.

"After you left I became pitiful and began drinking heavily. I cheated on Luna with a ton of different whores and I became a scary person. Someone I didn't like but diluted myself into thinking it was what I deserved. I was put into rehab for a month and Luna came and helped me a lot. She forgave me for cheating on her and said that she was going to wait for me until I finished with rehab. It was her turn to save me. And she didn't cringe at the fact that I was so horrible. She understood actually. She knew that I had a head fuck from everything going on around me.

"In rehab I had to do therapy. It was a magical rehab in Ireland. Well, during the sessions I realized that I had a ton of abandonment and jealously issues. The doctors there listened to me talk about being Harry Potter's best friend and having to face Voldemort. They understood that I was messed up and they helped me get better. It was nice having an objective point of view help me sort through things. It helped a lot.

"After rehab I was forced to move back in with mum and dad, and now I am watched every second like a hawk. They don't want me to relapse and go back on my drinking and sex benders. I don't want that either." He explained. He couldn't tell what Hermione was thinking and that bothered him.

"I should've called off the wedding two years ago, but I was a coward and I couldn't. I never was good enough, smart enough, courageous enough, loving enough, handsome enough for you. I was nothing compared to you." He stated.

"Ronald, you are so fucking stupid." She spat out. "You were blind to everything you gave me. You accepted me, you loved me, and you gave me a family. You gave me so much more than I could've ever dreamed of. Maybe you couldn't play hero to me, but I am not the type that needs a hero. I don't believe in being rescued. I was raised differently. I thought we were a good couple. I did have doubts leading up to the wedding, and if we just communicated more, you would've found out that I didn't want to get married to you so soon.

"You see Ron; I needed time to be free. And I knew you couldn't wait to be married. I knew there was not a strong enough bond of love between the two of us, but I still went ahead and planned our wedding. Because I wanted to make you happy. Lack of communication… That is our problem. We needed to talk more. And if we did, you would've never cheated on me because we wouldn't have been together." As she spoke she kept one hand on her tea and the other rested on her stomach.

"I might not have wanted to marry you, but to find out that while we were together you cheated on me… It killed me… So I ran away. I hated to do that, but I did. And surprisingly there I found just what I needed; freedom and love. I was a wreck after finding out about you and Luna and also finding out that everyone knew about you two. It brought up a lot of horrible feelings, Ron. Feelings that were hidden and locked away from before I even knew you.

"Thankfully, I had someone come a long and save me. A wonderful man that showed me a way to let go of the past and move onto the future. And what a wonderful future that would be." She smiled when she spoke and began rubbing her stomach. Her eyes glowed and she radiated something that he never seen before; or maybe once or twice before.

"You see for the past three months I have not been living alone. I've been living with Sirius Black." She paused allowing him a chance to take it in. Sirius Black was dead wasn't he? "Before you ask, he faked his death and lived on the run with only Harry, Remus and Dumbledore knowing he was alive. He had a Taboo created using his name and when I used it, the Taboo brought him to me. Well, to make a very and I mean very long story short, he helped me get over my anger and showed me how to move on. Along the way we fell in love.

"And I know this love is different from what we had. This love is real love. How a man should love a woman and how a woman should love a man. He proposed to me about a week ago and we are getting married next month on the 13. We are going to continue to live in the home we created and we will have children and raise them. We are going to love each other for the rest of our lives, and we are going to be happy." The conviction rang in her voice and he knew the words she spoke were the truth.

"I am happy for you, 'Mione. You deserve someone like that who can give you those things. The things that I never could've given you. That I never wanted to give you. I do love you, but through that love I realize that you deserve the best in life and that best is the opposite of me. I am happy that during your time of need, even though I caused it, you had someone to help you out. Sirius is a strong enough man to be your hero. And he is smart enough to challenge you mentally. He is the perfect match for you.

"You might not want to believe it, but I would do anything to make you happy again." He said.

"Do you really mean that, Ronald?" Her look and tone changed, she moved both of her hands to her stomach.

He put two and two together quite fast. She didn't even have to say the next words; he knew what they were going to be. "Hermione are you pregnant with my baby?" He whispered it for some unknown reason. He didn't have to whisper, but maybe whispering made it not true. She was silent and drank her tea. He wanted to press because he needed to know. His heart was racing with a fear that he might be saddled with a child. How would he explain that to Luna?

"Ron do you want children?" She asked him.

"No!" He didn't hesitate. He didn't have to think about it. If he wanted children it would not be for years and years.

"Then I need to ask you to do something for me. I found out as well last week that I am four months pregnant. I can tell you, assure you that the baby was conceived during that long night in May. In all honesty I really don't want to have your baby. I don't want something that will forever remind me of your betrayal, but after I found out that I am having a baby, I cannot imagine my life without him or her now. Sirius and I are together and he wants to raise the baby as his own. Yesterday we looked into Magical Blood Adoptions performed by goblins after the child is born."

This made Ron angry. Without even consulting him she was already planning on going through with a blood adoption on his child, by Sirius Black nonetheless. "Well, if you have already looked into it, why come here and ask me. Clearly you didn't need my permission to look into a blood adoption." He shouted.

"Ronald calm down. I am here to let you know that I am having your baby. And that if you want to be a part of its life, I am going to let you. I will not deny you the chance to know your child. But you clearly have told everyone that will listen that you don't want children, that you never did. You just told me now when I asked you if you wanted children. Now if you want to make a real attempt at getting to know your child, be there for holidays and birthdays, things like that, then I will let you. But I don't want you saying yes because of some ego trip. After all this is my baby, and I could disappear and you would never find either of us. But if you think you would do your child more harm than good, then I think you should opt out of being a daddy."

Ron sat there and looked at Hermione. There was a pain in her eyes that he never seen before. Her words swam around in his head. He never felt like he was good enough to give her anything, but that wasn't true he gave her a lot and then with his selfishness he took it all away. He didn't want a child, wouldn't know what to do with one, and now he had a chance to do something wonderful for Hermione. Maybe make up for what he had done to her in the past. He didn't want it, but Hermione was in love with someone who did. He prevented and denied her of so much over the years, but now he could give her the ultimate gift.

"Hermione, I don't want children. I never do. I would not be a good father right now. But I know that Sirius would be every bit of a wonderful father. Maybe it is me being selfish and not wanting my life fucked up right now since it is finally going good. Or maybe I just want to do one good thing in your life for you since I took so much away… But Hermione…" He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wand and his pocket knife. Magically he made a vial appear and then he scored his finger with the knife and filled the vial with blood. He handed it to her.

"Thank you Hermione for asking to meet with me and letting me get some things off my chest. And thank you for the option to be in my child's life. But I don't want to be. Take this vial with you when you deliver the baby and preform the blood adoption. This vial should allow the goblin to remove almost all traces of Weasley blood. Replace that blood with Black blood, the baby will be the two of yours and I will never ask to be a part of its life. You go and get your happily ever after and live a life that was impossible for me to give to you. No one will ever know it was mine." He got up and put some money on the table. "I'll see you around." He said and he walked to the door.

Faintly as he pushed the door opened he heard Hermione say, "thank you Ron." As he walked out into the mild September air he wiped a tear from his eye as he mourned for a child he never wanted and now would never get to know. Strangely he was not as bother by it as he should've been. He was sure now that the last act that Hermione would remember him doing was giving up their baby for her happiness, not him destroying her life with his lies and cheating.

Not wanting to go home and be alone and not wanting to spend time with Luna, Ron apparated to Saint Mungos and took an elevator down to the basement. He followed the posted signs on the walls to a little room at the end of the hall. He had the closure he needed where Hermione was concerned and now he was going to focus all of his energy into becoming a better person so he could finally be a man worthy of Luna's love.

He walked into the room sat in the back. There were a few witches and wizards in the room and each took their turn sharing their stories about what brought them there for the meeting. Finally it was his turn. He stood up and swallowed hard. "Hi, I'm Ron, and my last drink was fifty-three days ago. I just met with my ex today and gave up all rights to my only child. During our conversation I had to take a good, long, hard look at who I became over the past few years and I was a monster. I was scared. And when I left her I wanted nothing more than to turn back to the bottle for comfort. But I realized if I wanted to be happy and find happiness like she has, I need to get my life on track."

The others in the room looked at him and then together said, "hi, Ron." He sat down and passed the floor to the next person in the room. For a first time in a long time, he felt at peace.


	20. Chapter 20

**Disclaimer: JRK owns the HP world!**

**A/N: Okay so I am amazed that I have 1.91 hits on this story when I published the previous two chapters! I am shocked by this! Man, I cannot believe that. As you know after this chapter there is only 2 more... This chapter here I really enjoyed because it has my favorite Weasley in it, Charlie! I want to remind you all that this is only the first story so to say in a whole series I am working on so I am creating questions and plots that will be answered in the future stories, (which I started on today)... And since I have such devoted readers the next two and final chapters will be posted together late Sunday night early Monday morning! **

**Happy reading!**

**Aftermath: Chapter 20**

The party was impromptu but Harry and Ginny had the swell idea to throw an engagement party Friday night for their friends. Hermione was a bit nervous about it and so was Sirius, it was a coming out, surprise, I'm alive party. When Ginny presented them with the idea Wednesday after she got back from the meeting with Ron, she said no. She was drained and surprised by some of the things that came out at the meeting. She was even grateful that he was not going to present a problem for her and Sirius to fully adopt the child. When she explained what happened to Sirius he was just as surprised as she was. They both thought that Ron's ego might prevent them of reaching their full dream, but after she showed him the vial of blood they both held onto each other for the rest of the afternoon and night.

After the shock wore off and with a bit of pressing from Ginny, Hermione agreed to a small party, it was going to be their friends, the Weasley's minus Ron and Luna, Neville and Hannah, Petunia and Dudley, Tonks, Remus, Severus and a plus one, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore. That was twenty some guests plus the four of them. Ginny even invited over her mother and father. As she dressed she recalled that disaster of a meeting on Thursday.

She owled her parents Wednesday night asking if she could come over for afternoon tea on Thursday. Her mother responded back promptly saying that she and her father were very excited to see their daughter. Hermione was excited, thinking that with this little meeting her life would be back to normal and she could happily have everyone she loved at her wedding to a man she loved. When she arrived at her childhood home at noon her mum was waiting at the door to welcome her in. That was until she saw the face of the man that was on the new some ten years ago and saying her was a murder. Her mum freak out, slammed the door and ran off to get Hermione's father. Then then both looked out the front window as Hermione and Sirius walked to the door.

Hermione knocked, but her parents wouldn't let her in. 'Don't worry honey, we will call the police men and have them arrest the murder you caught. Such a smart girl." Her dad called. Hermione, after she stopped laughing took an hour out of her time to tell her parents that the murder part was all a mistake and that he was as safe as she was. It took a bit but they believed her and let them in. Once they were in the house, her parent's new dog, which she knew nothing about began attacking Sirius and biting his leg. The little mutt didn't shut up until her dad threw the dog in the bathroom. Tea was served shortly thereafter and a nervous Sirius burnt his mouth on some biscuits her mum just finished making. If it couldn't get any worse, when they told her parents they were getting married and having a baby, her father who was refilling their tea cups was so shocked he dropped a hot pot on Sirius' manhood.

Sirius was not thinking and picked the pot off his lap and then burnt his hand on the hot pot. He said some very colorful wizard swears that her parents didn't understand but got the jest of. She then had to spend a half-hour applying burn cream to him with the aid of her mother and father who felt horrible about the whole mess. Sadly being in front of muggles they couldn't use magic so he had to sit in pain for the rest of the afternoon tea. Although, after the ice was broken by the burns, the floor was opened for good, honest conversation; Hermione again got a lot of stuff of her chest and Sirius was given a chance to impress everyone with his charm. All in all when they left that night after dinner; Hermione felt exceptionally happy and Sirius had her father's permission for her hand in marriage. Her parents were happy that she was happy and couldn't wait to be grandparents. They even wanted to know if it was a boy or a girl so they could start getting things to spoil it with. Hermione promised to tell them as soon as she found out.

Hermione finished getting ready in the bathroom attached to their room. "We can still bolt, Sirius. Return to Madagascar and not do any of this." She called. He walked into the room pale white. She felt sorry for him. It was true that half of the people in attendance knew he was alive, but the second half didn't.

"I fell sick." He said looking at her.

"That is just nerves, love. This will be over soon and then tomorrow we return home to our beautiful island paradise. Then we can get some much needed alone time." She said. She finished with her hair and looked at him. She kissed him and smiled. "Everyone is going to be here to celebrate with us. I know it will go splendidly."

"I wish I had your confidence, but I don't." He said. "I guess we should get to it. I hear people already arriving." He said wrapping his arm around her and together they walked down the stairs. The sitting room was transformed into an area for a party. Chairs and tables for dinner were scattered around, it seemed they were the last ones to arrive to their own party. When they came down the stairs there was an explosion of clapping from everyone. Clearly Harry or Ginny filled them in on the logistics.

After the clapping subsided, their friends came over and congratulated them. First it was Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, then her parents and Albus and Minerva. Petunia and Dudley came over and offered congratulations then went and sat with Arthur. What and odd couple. Bill and Fleur were next as was Remus and Tonks. George and Angelina came over with Fred who introduced his new girlfriend Nichole. Percy and Audrey came over and offered their congratulations and also shared the news that they would be getting married after the New Year. She congratulated them as well and promised them to go to their wedding.

The last person to come over was Charlie. "Hey guys, congrats on the great news! I'm excited for you. And I am excited about that business proposal; you really think there is a new breed of dragon in Spain?"

"Yes, I do Charlie. I've seen their eggs when I hid in the caves. I checked with the local Ministry of Magic branch there, and they have no records of dragon nearby. They even put me in contact with the dragon hunters there, and I followed them for a month; they are not even remotely close to their location."

"Did you get a good look at them?" Charlie asked an excited gleam in his eyes.

"I think that it is part Common Welsh Green by the coloration of the scales and the shape of the body." Sirius answered. "I have a scale with me and a partial egg shell. They are up in my room. I even have some behavioral notes."

"How long were you researching them?" He asked intrigued.

"Of and on for a year or so. I found them on my first trip there, but I didn't pay them that much attention, but after I moved there I was going up there often." Sirius said with a grin.

"Would you mind if I brought someone over that is also an expert with Dragons?"" Charlie asked. Hermione noticed his eyes got a little starry. "I mean I know it is your engagement party and all, but any second someone might find them there!"

"I understand that, Charlie, and I don't mind. I can mingle and Sirius can join me once you finish with your discussion." Hermione said. Charlie whipped out his cell phone and punched in something buttons. He was sending a text.

"He will be here soon." He said, Hermione noticed he was anxious. He cleared his throat. "Uh… Can I talk to the two of you privately?" He asked.

"Sure." The three of them walked over to the hall.

"Uh… No one knows this yet, but Xavier, the dragon expert that is coming over, he is my boyfriend. You see, I'm gay and no one really knows about it. Not even my parents know. I've known for a while that I am gay and I've been with a few men before, but none this serious. We've been together since 1998. I wanted to bring him along with me to your wedding, I am getting sick of hiding it and I don't know how people are going to take it. I mean I really love him. We've been talking about making a future together; getting married, having children. We've interview surrogates and everything. We even have our own home. I've met his family but he hasn't met mine yet. I thought your wedding would be a good time. I just don't want you to think I am stealing your thunder."

Hermione wanted to say I knew it, but she didn't want to be insensitive. She had a feeling he was gay from the first time she saw him. She smiled and felt honored that he trusted the two of them with such a massive secret. "Charlie, it is alright. You can bring him to the wedding. If you three are going to be working together a lot with this new dragon project we might as well get to know each other." Hermione smiled. "Now you two talk. I am going to go be social." She said. She gave Sirius a kiss and walked away.

XXXXX

Sirius took the stairs two at a time so he could get the dragon stuff from his room. Once he had them he took the stairs back down two at a time. Charlie was sitting at a table in the back with who he assumed was Xavier. Sirius walked over to them and put the knapsack on the table.

"Sirius Black, this is Xavier Celosia. Xavier this is Sirius a longtime family friend." Sirius was surprised. He thought this guy would look a little feminine, but he wasn't. He was tall and toned with pale skin, dark hard and clear green eyes. He was strikingly handsome.

"Nice to meet you Xavier." Sirius said.

"The same goes for me. Now let's have a look at your goodies." He said with a smile, he put on a pair of glasses. Carefully Sirius pulled out the journal he kept, the scale and the egg shell part. "I tried drawing it here in the back of the book, but it is not all that great looking." He said pushing back the pages.

"Are you kidding, Mr. Black. This is amazing. Did you use pencil or wand?" Xavier asked.

"Pencil, I didn't use my wand while I was with them. I kept to the trees and in high cliffs. And call me Sirius."

"Okay, Sirius. Can you explain to me a bit about what you saw? Anything that you thought might be odd about them?" Xavier and Charlie both pulled out notebooks and quills.

"Sure, I know that there is more in the book there, but I can tell you the things that I think are the most important. First off, the males are the smaller of the groups. They are almost half the size of the females and they are very aggressive. They live in large groups with only one male with three to five females. I guess the best way to describe them is compare them to a T-Rex, they have very strong back legs but little short front legs, their wings are not thick and large, but smaller translucent ones. They are not really tall, a full grown female is around three to six meters, and most males run between two and four. The most interesting thing though is their eggs. They hatch in late winter, the mother uses their breath to keep them warm but there is only one egg and from that hatches three to five young." There was a collective gasp.

"Really? I've never heard of a Dragon that was able to do that before. This is their shell?" Xavier asked.

"Yes, from the side of the egg."

"That is great; with this piece right here we can reconstruct the actual egg. Is this the color the egg is through the gestation period?" Charlie asked.

"No, it starts off sold grey kind of like dull metal, and then they change to a brownish green color, then full bright green, that dulls to a greenish red and when they hatch the eggs is bright red and has literal flames around it. Like the egg itself is going to combust, and then the egg goes blue as ice and shatters."

"Do you mind if we take this for the night and run some tests?" Charlie asked.

"No, not at all. I just want this to be kept a secret. This is a new breed and I don't want people knowing about it and then flocking to Spain and disrupting their nests." Sirius added.

"We completely understand, but I don't have a private place to work on this stuff at. My parents are dragon tamers / hunters and Charlie's house is too busy. I would recommend out own place, but my sister is living there at the moment with us." Xavier said.

"Hermione and I have a place. I'll talk to her tonight and see if you can borrow our room that leads to the potion area. It is small, but there is more than enough room to set something up."

"Yeah that would be great. I think you should keep these items until we get a solid location. But over the next few days Xavier and I will begin some research about dragon legends." Charlie said. "For now I think you should get back to your engagement party. And thank you for the opportunity; this could really put our names on the map, Sirius." Charlie said holding out his hand. Sirius shook it and then shook Xavier's. He collected his items and slung the bag over his shoulders.

XXXXX

Hermione and the rest of the women in the house returned downstairs to the men. "Hermione that dress is gorgeous, the way it flows it is going to be perfect on the beach. What is Sirius wearing?" Angelina asked as they entered the sitting room.

"I think just a white dress top and some black slacks. Informal. And he looks better relaxed than all dressed up." Hermione responded.

"Why do I have a feeling you are talking about me." Sirius said walking over to her and kissing her. "Showing off her dress, right?" He asked.

"Of course. Women have to show those things off." Petunia said.

"I've told Petunia, Dudley and my parents we will pair them up for side-along apparation. I know that Harry and Gin, nor Tonks or Fleur could do it since they are going to be with their children. But maybe Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and maybe Fred and George."

"That sounds like a good idea. Now I believe we need to talk to Professor Dumbledore about something." Sirius reached for her hand and pulled her down the rest of the steps. She noticed how youthful he looked. She could've sworn he was just as young as she was. She liked him like this. She loved this youthful side to him. She never thought of him as old, but when she looked at his face she could see the way the years wore him down, he didn't seem to have that now. He was completely different.

"Excuse us, Professor, but can we speak with you for a moment." Hermione asked walking over to the elderly wizard who was entertaining the children and Harry with his stories.

"Yes, of course. Excuse me, I will be right back." He handed Jean back to Harry and walked the two of them over to the glass doors in the room and out to the courtyard. "I had a feeling you would want to talk to me before the night was over." He smiled a beautiful smile that reached his eyes.

"Well, Sirius and I were wondering… We wouldn't want anyone else doing it… But if you are not busy on the thirteenth of next month… Do you think you could marry us?" Hermione asked him.

"It would be a great honor, Albus, if you would. We know that if you blessed us by marrying us that great things would come." Sirius added.

"It would be my pleasure to marry the both of you. Is it going to be magical or muggle?" He asked.

"Both, since my parents are going to be there. And we want our own vows. And we will exchange muggle rings along with the magical binding." Hermione said.

"Well, I think we will be able to manage that. I just need to find the perfect socks to wear." He said with a smile. "Maybe since it will be on the beach I might forego them." He smiled and then laughed. "I am sure that I will be able to come up with just the right mixture. Now if you will excuse me. I would like to get back to the children. Congratulations again you two, I knew the moment I sent you back in time to help save him, that you two would be saving each other for the rest of your lives." He said. Then he bowed and went back inside of the house.

After he returned to the house Sirius held out his arm, "how about we take a stroll under the moonlight, Miss. Granger."

"That sounds splendid, Mr. Black." She linked their arms and together they began walking. "You know what, Sirius, this week has had its horrendous times, but look at all of our friends in there. I think that it is amazing that they are willing to accept us back into their lives and begin a new journey with us. And just think, in six weeks we will be married. And then four months after that, our baby will be here. Life doesn't get any better than this." She sighed laying her head on his shoulder.

"Our life will be filled with wonderful moments like this. You have no idea." He sighed and kissed the top of her head. "I love you, Hermione."

"I love you too, Sirius."


	21. Chapter 21

**Disclaimer: JKR owns the HP world. **

**A/N: Okay so here it is... The second to last chapter. Of course we are going to be skipping right to the wedding... These two chapters were truly the hardest to write and I hope as it draws to an end you all enjoy the conclusion!**

**Happy Reading! :)**

**Aftermath: Chapter 21**

"And this is the start of the baby room. It was Sirius' old room, but we have been transforming it. We have decided to wait until it is born to find out the sex. So for now we are just painting it bright colors and adding in some furniture." Hermione said to the group of ladies behind her. It was the eve of her wedding and the last group of guest had arrived. They were all going to be staying in the two huge white tents they set up on the north side of the beach. The men were outside setting up the tables and chairs for the wedding and reception. They were also given the job of setting up the decorations under the careful eye of Ginny and Tonks.

"Darling, this place is beautiful. You got a prime location here. Your dad loves it. He cannot wait to go for a swim." Her mum said from the group.

"Thanks mum, when I saw the pictures of this in the realtor office I fell in love. And Sirius and I have made it into a home."

"I enjoy the flowers here; you both have a beautiful garden in back." Petunia said.

"Thank you; we are using the flowers from there to dress the tables and for my bouquet." Hermione responded. "Ooh what time is it?" She asked.

"Seven thirty, 'Mione." Fleur said with a smile.

"Then we need to get to dinner. Come on ladies. Wonderful food awaits us." Hermione said. In all honesty their house seemed a little suffocating at the moment. There were around thirty people in their small home and in their yard. She couldn't wait for the wedding to be over with so she could move onto the rest of her life with Sirius. She needed the break, she needed a nap. The past month and a half was overstuffed with wedding plans, potion making, board meetings, dragon meetings, people visiting, and doctor appointments. Her tentative due date was the third of February and she was told that she was under too much stress currently and Joseph was worried about the health of her unborn child. He had her going in for weekly stress tests and just two days ago, they discovered that she had low blood sugar. Now she was talking a potion to help regulate it.

They walked out of the house and she was pleased with what she saw; lanterns hung in the sky leading up the aisle, she would walk down to get married to Sirius. There were four tables with six chairs on each side of a dividing white carpet. The table had black cloth on them with white chairs and white and red floral arrangements in the middle. The tables were set with golden place settings and white lantern bags adorned with their new family crest created a circle in front of the table and chairs that was the spot they were going to get married at and then would be the area for dancing. Fred and George already promised to be the musical entertainment.

"Excuse me everyone, but we have reservations at eight at Miadanise, they are closing down the place for our dinner so I think we should get going." Hermione said.

"I think that my beautiful bride is right. We should get going." Sirius said walking over to her and kissing her. "How does it look?" He asked.

"Beautiful, Sirius, just beautiful. You boys did a wonderful job." She responded.

"Hey, how are we supposed to get to this restaurant?" Fred asked.

"We walk, now follow us." Hand in hand they led their wedding party up the path the two of them walked a hundred times. They pointed out places in the town as they passed them. Their guests enjoyed themselves as they walked and everyone was laughing and carrying on.

"Congratulations Miss. Granger and Mr. Black on your upcoming nuptials." Rina said as they walked into Miadanise.

"Thank you Rina. You will be there tomorrow, right?" Hermione asked her.

"Rija and I wouldn't miss it. Your tables are ready in the back and the appetizers will be presented shortly." She said leading the group to the back of the room. Everyone sat down and Rija was quick to take drink orders and he and Rina filled them.

"This place is magnificent, Miss. Granger. How did you find it?" Professor Dumbledore asked.

"Mindy recommended it to me." She said looking at her friend somewhere in the middle of the room.

"I've been going here for years since Joe and I first moved here. We love it. And the food is so fresh and takes the taste buds on a journey." Mindy responded. Soon after Mindy finished talking appetizers were brought out. The meal lasted an hour and the food was delicious. Hermione was very pleased with how everything turned out.

As the last desert plates were cleaned and everyone got up out of their chairs, Joseph made an announcement; "excuse me everyone. After talking with our dear friends, Hermione and Sirius, we decided that their plans of forgo a bachelor and bachelorette party were ridiculous and so my wife and I decided to throw a pre wedding party at our house for everyone. We got the very famous Weird Sisters to provide some music, we have set up a quidditch pitch over the ocean, and have wizard chess and tons of desert and snack type foods for everyone to eat. There will be tons of party type games and opportunity for everyone to kick up their feet and relax before the big day tomorrow." There was a mummer of excitement with their friends and then everyone began flocking out of the restaurant. It was dark out, but that was not going to stop anyone.

Mindy and Joseph using there wands lit the way for everyone to their house, about a thirty minute walk from the restaurant. Their house was relatively large but Hermione knew their yard was bigger. "Those that want to play Quidditch please see Joseph so he can set up teams. As for everyone else, pick an area and have fun." Mindy said opening the gate. The whole area was lit magically by floating candles and lights. Hermione could see the big golden hoops for the Quidditch in the water some thirty feet off the shore. At the back of the yard was a bandstand area which was occupied by the Weird Sisters, they began playing music as soon as Mindy closed the gate. Hermione saw a buffet table filled on the left side with tons of food and a few tables for people to sit. Other stations she guessed were set up around the yard filled with things to do. Most of the Weasleys went to the line that was forming for Quidditch over by the beach. Dumbledore was already hitting the lemon drops on the snack table, and two little house-elves were taking the children over to a magical puppet show.

"Mindy, I don't know how to thank you for all of this?" Hermione said.

"We were not expecting this. We didn't want separate parties because we thought they were pointless, but a single party where we all can be together is splendid."

"You don't have to thank Joseph and I. It was our pleasure and not that hard to set up; a few waves of our wands and voilà a party that can meet everyone's needs." She responded. Hermione hugged the woman, and Mindy hugged her back. "Now go and have fun, celebrate your last night of freedom." She said and then disappeared.

"Well, love, what do you wish to do?" Sirius asked.

"I think you should go and play some Quidditch while I go and sit with Molly, my mum and Tonks. I think I might see how many people I can convince to go swimming with me.

"You sure?" He asked.

"Yes, go and enjoy yourself." She said. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her deeply, then ran off with a childlike glee.

Hermione walked over to women sitting around the tables. "Hey I wanted to go swimming and I wanted to see who would like to join me. Even at night the water is going to be warm. And we can keep a good eye on the game." Hermione said.

"I'm game. It looks like Harry and Sirius are going to be the captains of the teams." Ginny said.

"And my husband is going to be playing on Sirius' team with both Arthur and Charlie." This is going to be too good to miss. Tonks added.

"Molly, I think I would like to join them, you?" Hermione's mums said and her father agreed. Just about the time the game began Hermione and most of the ones not playing Quidditch were in the ocean swimming under the game. The game lasted over three hours, in the last half-hour of the game, around two thirty am, the game grew intense and everyone not playing were sat on blankets and towels watching the action go down. Harry and Sirius were in a dead heat for the Snitch, but neither could keep their eyes on it longer than a few seconds because of the darkness. Everyone else on brooms practically stopped playing waiting and watching for one of them to catch it.

"COME ON SIRIUS! Show Harry how it's done!" Hermione shouted! She wanted to see her husband win the game. The tense battle raged on for almost fifteen minutes before Sirius saw the snitch and dove for it. Harry followed suite and both of them nosedived towards the water. Harry pulled up at the last second, but Sirius followed the snitch into the water and when he rose from the water he had the snitch clutched in his hand.

"And with that Team Black wins with 750 points to Team Potter's 600. Great game guys." Joseph said calling it. The players dismounted and Hermione ran into Sirius' arms.

"Good job, love. How did that feel?" She asked him giving him a victory kiss.

"It made me feel alive." He responded. "What time is it?"

"After three in the morning, Mr. Black." Professor Dumbledore said.

"Crap. I think that we all should head back to the house it is going to take an hour to get there!" Hermione sighed.

"Not if we flew." Sirius suggested.

"I like that idea." Harry added.

"Then borrow the brooms and we will get them tomorrow. I have more in the shed." Joseph said. Everyone paired up and mounted the brooms and took off.

"Ooh my gosh! This is WONDERFUL!" Petunia squealed as she flew high in the sky with Fred.

"Mum this is amazing! I want a broom!" Dudley yelled in agreement.

"How are you doing dad?" Hermione yelled as he flew on a broom with Arthur.

"This is magnificent, Hermione. You are lucky to be a witch. Flying on a broom is wonderful. What about you dear?" He asked his wife flying next to him with Molly.

"I don't like it." She said.

"Yeah neither do I, mum." Hermione agreed. "How much longer, Sirius?"

"How much longer, Hermione?" He responded. "You see our house is right there." He said pointing. Twenty some brooms dismounted in the area next to the wedding decorations. Hermione was the first off trying to catch her bearings. Sirius held onto her, worried she might fall.

"You alright?" He asked her.

"Yes of course." She responded. Their guest dismounted and placed the booms on the left side of Hermione and Sirius' home. Quickly everyone said goodnight to each other and departed to their rooms in the tents. Only Hermione and Sirius were left under the stars.

"Are you sure you want to spend the night apart?" He asked her.

"Yes, Sirius. As much as I don't want to, it is tradition. The next time I want you to see me is when I am walking to you in my dress so we can get married." She said kissing him. He kissed her back hard and deep causing her to moan. She wrapped herself into him and all she could think of was their upcoming wedding night. She was the one the broke the kiss.

"Now you go and get some sleep. I am exhausted and I need some rest so I can be a beautiful, blushing bride." Hermione smiled.

"I love you Miss. Granger. Goodnight." He said.

"I love you too Mr. Black. See you tomorrow afternoon for the wedding." She watched as he walked over to one of the tents and went inside. They were set up like hotel rooms with enough space for those that had families and there was even a working plumbing.

Hermione walked into her home and sighed. She wanted to take a long bath. So she did just that. Her dress was hanging in the bathroom and the vanity was filled with what she needed to get ready with in the morning. She drew herself a hot bath and climbed into it. She brought with her a book and settled back to read. She was about two chapters in when there was a knock on her door.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"It's your mum, dear."

"Ooh come in, mum." Hermione said pushing the book to the side.

"I didn't want to bother you, but I thought that you might still be awake and in the mood for some conversation." She said.

"I always have time to talk to you mum. Please come in and sit down. The chair on the vanity is comfortable." She responded. Her mum did as Hermione suggested and Hermione looked at her. "It looks like something is bothering you, mum. Is something wrong?" Hermione asked worried that her mum might have a problem with the wedding.

"No. Tonight I was just thinking about how proud I am of you. And I was worried that I didn't say that enough to you. After you got accepted into Hogwarts and we found out you were a witch, your father and I were a bit scared. You were our baby girl and were leaving us. You came back with all sorts of adventures, and your father and I began feeling like we were keeping you from the world you belonged in. And at the same time we wanted to take you away from that world. We had mixed feelings about it. It felt like you betrayed us for a magical world that could offer you so much more.

"But tonight I realized how much you sacrificed over the years facing that man, Botvermort."

"It's Voldemort, mum." Hermione said with a smile.

"Well, I just realized that your father and I were wrong ever thinking we should keep you from this world. You are happy here and have great friends. You have done a lot with your life since you were a little eleven year old girl. And I am very proud of you. I just wanted to let you know that." Her mum said.

"Mum, I always thought that you and dad were never interested in my new life and world. I never realized that you might've thought I betrayed you. I love the life of a witch, but at the same time I struggled with too many adult things too soon in that world. There are things that I would've changed and then again there are things I never would give up no matter what." She tried explaining. "I am sorry you felt that I betrayed you and dad and my upbringing. I never wanted that."

"Don't apologize, dear. I understand now. And I want you to know how proud I am of you and your new life. You are a beautiful grown woman, Hermione, and tomorrow you will be a wife and soon a mother. We are proud of you. And your father and I wanted you to have these." She handed her a black velvet box. Hermione opened the lid and saw a silver chain with an onyx stone on it and a set of matching teardrop onyx earrings. "We thought you could wear them tomorrow and always just to remember how much your father and I love you. And it is the something new following tradition." Her mum said.

"Ooh mum, I love them. Thank you so much." Hermione said. She handed the box to her mum who sat it on the vanity.

"Now I am going back to your father. Get some sleep. You need it. Love you, Hermione." Her mum said.

"I love you too, mum." Hermione watched as her mother left and then she got out of the bath and put on something to wear for bed. She sleepily walked to her bed and crawled into it. She was asleep before she knew it.


	22. Chapter 22

**Disclaimer: JKR owns the wonderful world of Harry Potter!**

**A/N: So here is the last chapter! I am so sad to see it end... But I love the conclusion that I brought it to. Just remember this is not the last you will be seeing of these characters! I've got the story of the baby's birth finished and I am working on story after that which will find the next generation of children at Hogwarts... And it is going to be just as interesting as this one! Plus I might do a couple of one shots featuring the characters is this story just to give you all a look into the lives of the characters you and I have all grown to love! **

**So I hope you all love this last chapter and thank you all deeply from the bottom of my heart for loving this story and my first published fan fiction! It means a lot you all took a chance and read this story and enjoyed what I did with it. **

**HAPPY READING! :)**

**Aftermath: Chapter 22**

"Hermione, it is time for you to get into your dress." Her mum said from the hallway. "Everyone is here and waiting and Dumbledore said there is a half-hour until sunset."

"Thank you Mrs. Granger. She is almost ready." Ginny responded.

Hermione looked at herself in the mirror. She was in a satin robe while Ginny put her hair in a ringlet up do. Tonks carefully applied some makeup to her face. Mrs. Weasley was on standby with the tiara and the other two girls were all ready. Hermione smiled at the face in the mirror and imagined what Sirius' face was going to look like when he said her. She opened the box and put on the necklace and earrings.

"Those are beautiful and will match the tiara well. Now get into your dress and we can get your hair finished." Tonks said as Ginny took the dress off the hook and unzipped it. Hermione stepped into it and Tonks zipped her up. Ginny used her wand to make the sizing adjustments, which rather than taking it in, she had to let it out a bit. Seems Hermione put on a bit more baby weight since she got the dress.

Ginny let Mrs. Weasley in and she affixed the tiara to her hair and helped with the veil. "Now you have something old and borrowed with this tiara and something new from your mum last night. Now you just need something blue."

"Don't worry mum, we picked her a few blue flowers for her bouquet. She has it all covered." Ginny said.

"Good. Now I am going to go and get my seat. You look beautiful dear. Congratulations."

"Thank you Mrs. Weasley. Is my father ready?"

"Yes he is. Now take a deep breath and go and marry your man." The four women chuckled as Molly walked out. Hermione looked at herself in the mirror and began to cry. She was the luckiest woman alive. Hermione took a deep breath and picked up her bouquet.

"Okay I'm ready." She said. And together the three of them arm and arm walked out of the bathroom and waited in the hall for her father's signal.

XXXXX

Sirius ran his hands through his hair as the music began. "You look faint, Sirius." Harry said with a sigh.

"Nah, I'm good I just want to get this done with."

"It will all be over soon my man." Remus said. "Hermione is ready and she loves you, just focus on her and soon you will be husband and wife." Remus said slapping him on the back. Sirius dressed in a simple pair of black slacks and a white button down shirt took a deep breath and opened the door. He watched Dumbledore walk the white aisle barefoot and Sirius laughed. Leave it to Dumbeldore! As soon as Dumbledore was in the designated area, he followed. He saw the face of his friends… No… His family as he went and stood next to his old Professor dressed in ocean blue robes.

He turned to look at the door of their house waiting for the moment he would see her. Remus and Tonks came out of the door after him. They walked the same aisle as he did and took up post on the right and left sides. Harry and his wife were next following the exact motions of Remus and Tonks. He could already here the faint cries from some of the people in the audience and he saw Hagrid, who just made it in time for the wedding blow his nose. The music that surrounded their wedding changed as he saw Hermione on the arm of her father walk out of their shared home. Everyone stood as they watched her walk to him.

A few tears escaped his eyes as he saw his beautiful bride in a beautiful dress. A thousand thoughts ran through his mind, but the most dominate one was how did he get so lucky. The gentle breeze blew the dress around her and he could see the ever expanding baby bump of hers under the gown. How was this possible? How was she his? She grinned like a mad woman as she walked her way to him. The walk seemed to take forever, but at last her father and she stopped in front of him.

Albus cleared his throat, "who gives this woman to this man?" He asked.

"Her mother and I do." Mr. Granger said and then he kissed her cheek and went to sit with his wife.

"You all may be seated." Albus said with a smile. Sirius looked into Hermione's tear filled eyes and knew without a doubt this was his destiny. "We are here this evening to join these two souls in blessed wedlock. I was given the most magnificent honor of being asked to be the one to perform this union and I gladly accepted. Many years ago when this beautiful woman who is standing before us was a young girl, her wonderfully big heart wouldn't let an innocent man be sentenced to something worse than death itself. With my permission I allowed her to go back and alter the course of their lives. I knew then and there in that moment that one day I would be standing in front of their dearest friends and family joining these two as man and wife. Love known no bounds and this union here today is the perfect example of that; taking destiny into their own hands they have discovered that no matter how different two might seem on the outside; if there is love within their souls they can make it through anything.

"Miss. Granger, a muggle born witch and Mr. Black, a pure-blood wizard decided to give their love a chance and get married here today is a duel muggle and magical wedding. In keeping with this request I am not going to allow this man and woman to share their vows. Mr. Black."

Sirius' heart began thumping loudly in his chest. He had to take in a few deep breaths before he could begin. "I only have one thing that I want to say to you Hermione. Thank you for taking a chance and saving me. It is true that you did save me from a horrible fate, but that one act of kindness changed my whole life. You are the warmest, loving and caring woman I know. You took a chance on me at your own risk and no one every stood up for me like that. I knew then that I was going to marry you some day. You gave me a second chance at life and love and for that I will always be indebted to you. I promise with all that I am to always be there for you in every way that you have been there for me over the years. I will never give up on you, our love, or our life together. I will love and cherish you with every fiber of my being and together be one soul. I love you, Hermione." He said. Not all of the words came out like he wanted them too, but he thought he did really well. It was hard for him to express his feelings, but he knew she would know what he meant.

"Your turn, Miss. Granger."

He watched Hermione choke up a bit, and push a tear away from her eye. "Sirius, all of my life I thought I had to be a strong, emotionally barren woman to survive. I never found it easy to show what I felt. I always followed a strict set of self-imposed rules because I thought in order to become someone amazing I had to. Circumstances change though, and when I let my emotions out, in the aftermath you were the only one there. You picked me up when I fell down and you held my hand as I struggled. You never gave up on me. You changed my life for the better. You made me realize that I didn't need fame and fortune to be an amazing person. You showed me that I am an amazing person. You made me realize that for too long I was living a life I thought I had to, not one I wanted to." More tears fell from her eyes.

"By giving me your love, letting down your guard and letting me in, you showed me that I needed you just as much as you needed me. You made me realize that I want to be an amazing wife and mother; I don't need fame, and I don't need to save the world. You let me save you and in return you saved me. I promise that for the rest of my life I am always going to be there for you when you need it. I am always going to pick you up when you fall down and hold your hand when you struggle. I will celebrate with you during the good times and seek comfort from you during the bad times. And every day I am going to remind you just how much I love you and just how wonderful of a person you are. I love you, Sirius Black." She finished. He held onto her hand as her vows rang in his ears. He didn't understand what he did to deserve this wonderful woman and all the kind things she said, but he did understand love. And he knew they loved each other.

"Now the rings." Albus said turning to Tonks and Remus. "In muggle tradition these rings are an outward remembrance of the internal vows and love they have shared here today. Sirius please put this ring on Hermione's finger." He said handing the ring to Sirius. With a shaking hand he slipped it onto her finger. "Your turn, Hermione." Hermione took the ring and put it on his finger.

"Now for the magical binding of this ceremony." Albus took out his wand and tapped Sirius's hand; a green light hovered above it. He did the same to Hermione, she emitting a red light. With a wave he twisted to two separate colors together until they turned radiant silver in the air and then exploded covering the two of them in gold dust. "A beautiful pairing a wonderful match." Albus looked at the two of them with tears in his eyes and Sirius and Hermione both looked at the beautiful colors in the setting sky. "Sirius Black, you may now kiss your bride." Albus said. He didn't need telling twice. Carefully he ran his finger down her right cheek and then down her left, and ever so gently he pulled her face to his. When their lips met his body filled with sparks. The kiss was light and sweet and the sensation he felt would be one he would forever remember.

"It is the greatest honor for me to introduce you to, Mr. and Mrs. Sirius Orion Black!" All of their friends and family exploded with clapping and whistles and Hermione and Sirius walked back up the aisle. Everyone threw rose petals at them and offered their congratulations. "You are the most amazing creature I've ever met, Hermione Black! I am so happy you are my wife." He whispered in her ear.

"I am only amazing because of you, love." She responded and then threw her arms around him to kiss him again.

XXXXX

Hermione and Sirius walked their way to the table they were going to sit at with Harry, Ginny, Tonks and Remus. Once there, Remus handed them a glass each. "A toast to the new Mr. and Mrs. Sirius Black. May their life be filled with the wonders of love and best wishes for a happily ever after." He said clanking their glasses together.

Albus waved his wand and filled the plates of the guest at the party. Everyone ate their meal, drank some of the most delicious drinks and shared in the celebration of love and laughter. In turn they came up in groups of twos and threes to congratulate them and compliment them on how wonderful the ceremony was. Once everyone finished with their meals, speeches were made by almost everyone in attendance. Some were sweet and sappy, while others were comical.

Hermione and Sirius cut the cake and took pleasure in smashing it in the others face and then they signaled Fred and George for the music. "Now, the bride and groom are going to share their first dance." Fred said, as the two of them walked into the dancing area. George used his want and made the bags glow bright from the candles in them, and Hermione and Sirius twirled around and around in the warm sand. Soon everyone was dancing with everyone one and more drinks were shared. Stories of love, family and friendship passed around. People laughed and people cried and people passed out on the sand.

Soon it was time for the party to end and for people to return to their homes. The beautiful wedding that took six weeks to prepare was destroyed in six hours. After they used their wands to clean up the rest of the mess, Sirius took Hermione's hand and walked her to the edge of the sand. Water was licking their toes. There together they danced to the music in their hearts under the bright moon and the twinkling stars.

"I love you, Sirius. Thank you for being my hero. I wouldn't have been me if you didn't save me." Hermione said as they finished spinning.

"Hermione, we saved each other. We both were lost and together we helped find each other. Love is such a wondrous thing."

"It truly is, Sirius. It truly is." And if their baby was agreeing with them it kicked in her stomach. It was just a little flutter, but it was there. She grabbed Sirius' hands and wrapped them around her so they could share in the magic of the moment. He laughed when he felt it kick and then tilted her chin up so he could kiss her lips.

"I love you, Mrs. Black." He said placing his hands back on her stomach.

"I love you too, Mr. Black." She said laying her head backwards on his shoulder. They both turned their heads to the moon and looked at it reflect off the water. It was beautiful. And there standing in the sand, her feet nestled between Sirius with water kissing their toes she felt that her life was complete. She was no longer stuck in searching for a way out of the shambles of her life. She lived through the downfall and she survived the aftermath with the help of them man who had his arms wrapped around her. Hermione Jean Granger-Black's life was complete and rather than digging her way out of a mess, she held her head high and looked forward to her new forever.

**THE END!**


End file.
